


Out of the Ashes

by Starfur373



Category: The Walking Dead - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-04-05 03:16:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 36,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4163598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starfur373/pseuds/Starfur373
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carol transfers to a new high school during her junior year. There she meets Daryl Dixon, an angry boy prone to fights and the youngest son of the town drunk. While most students tend to stay as far away from Daryl as possible, Carol and Daryl strike up an unlikely friendship and quickly find that the feelings they have for each other may lead to something more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! So, I recently posted on Tumblr asking if anyone would be interested in reading an AU, high school Caryl fic and quite a few people said yes, so here we are! This is my first time ever publishing any of the fanfiction I've written, so if there are any ways you think this story could be improved, please, please, please let me know! I'm always open to feedback! Thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoy!

Carol nervously twisted a lock of her curly, auburn hair around her finger. She was seated on a bench outside of the Principal’s office of her new high school. The sign on the door read “Principal Dale Horvath” and her parents were inside the office with Mr. Horvath right now making sure that all her transfer paperwork was properly filled out.

The door of the office opened suddenly and her parents followed the Principal out, smiles spread across each of their faces.

“Alright, Miss Carol,” Principal Horvath said. “Allow me to escort you now to your homeroom.”

Carol stood up, relinquishing her hold on the lock of her hair and giving each of her parents a quick hug goodbye.

“Have a wonderful first day, dear,” her mother said, hugging her tightly. “I’m sure you’re going to make so many new friends.”

“I’m sure I will, Mom, don’t worry about me,” Carol replied, releasing her mother.

Once her parents left, Carol wordlessly followed Principal Horvath as he led her to where her homeroom would be. She observed the students all around her, calling out as they saw their friends and hustling off to classes. A commotion ahead caught her attention and Principal Horvath shook his head, muttering to himself as a crowd formed around two figures throwing punches at each other.

“Come on, Dixon, is that really the best you can do?” The larger boy taunted the other. The other boy, “Dixon” apparently, had a small trickle of blood coming from his nose and his left eye was already beginning to swell up. His shaggy hair fell into his eyes as he lunged forward again, swinging his fist and connecting with the larger boy’s cheek. 

“Alright boys, that’s enough,” Principal Horvath yelled in a thundering voice, causing the two boys to freeze where they were, their fists still raised in a fighting stance. “Daryl Dixon,” the Principal said sternly. “And Ed Peletier. Why am I not surprised? When I get back to my office in sixty seconds, I expect to find both of you sitting there calmly and quietly.”

“Bet Dixon can’t even count that high,” Ed Peletier snarled cruelly.

Daryl Dixon bristled at the comment and looked as if he might lunge at the larger boy again, but the Principal stopped them both before they could pick up where they’d left off.

“That’s quite enough,” he thundered. “I want both of you in my office. Right. Now.”

Daryl and Ed scowled at each other but obeyed, skulking off in the direction of the Principal’s office; both of them were still bristling angrily.

“Don’t you all have classes to go to?” Principal Horvath called to the bystanders who immediately began to disperse, whispering to their friends anxiously as they all went their own separate ways. Principal Horvath heaved a heavy sigh. “I’m very sorry you had to witness that on your first day, Carol,” he said. “Mr. Dixon and Mr. Peletier have never gotten along, I’m afraid, and every once in a while their disagreements escalate into a scene such as the one you just witnessed. You would do well to stay away from both of those boys.”

Carol flashed the older man a small smile, not entirely sure how else to reply. Thankfully, she didn’t have to.

“Well, here we are,” Principal Horvath said with a smile. “I’m sure you’re going to love it here once you’ve settled in. Have a great first day!” And with that, he turned and headed back in the direction of his office, presumably to deal with Daryl Dixon and Ed Peletier. 

Carol heaved a heavy sigh as she pushed open the door to her homeroom, her anxiety twisting her stomach around in knots. She’d hardly been in the school for twenty minutes and she had already seen more than enough drama than she wanted. Oh yes, she thought sarcastically, I’m sure I’m going to love it here, Principal Horvath.


	2. Chapter 2

After homeroom ended, Carol checked her schedule and found that she had English class first. Perfect, she thought, her favorite class. She managed to find the correct classroom without any difficulty and was even a few minutes early. She introduced herself to the teacher who beamed brightly at her.

“Why, it’s lovely to meet you, dear,” the teacher gushed. “I’m sure we’re going to have a wonderful rest of the year. Unfortunately there’s only one seat left in the classroom, so I’m afraid you’ll have to sit there. It’s that one in the back. Sorry in advance about that seat, by the way.” 

Carol wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the woman’s final comment but with one last smile she made her way to her designated seat. Just as she was making herself comfortable, someone took the seat beside her. With a jolt, Carol realized it was one of the boys from the fight earlier. The one with the shaggy hair. The one they’d called Daryl Dixon. Carol noticed that he’d cleaned himself up a little bit since she’d last seen him, but his left eye was now puffy and swelling shut with the beginning of a bruise discoloring it slightly.

“That looks like it must hurt a lot,” Carol said to him. Daryl jumped a bit and glanced over at her in surprise, seeming shocked almost that someone was actually talking to him. “You should put some ice on it to keep the swelling down.” Daryl glanced over at her again and then turned his gaze away quickly, unable to meet her steady blue gaze.

“I’m Carol,” she pressed on, trying to get him to say something. She wasn’t even sure why she was bothering, but she kept talking anyway. “I’m new here.”

“Can see that,” Daryl mumbled without looking at her. 

“Aren’t you going to tell me your name?” Carol asked pointedly, refusing to move her gaze away from his face. Daryl glanced over at her again, trying to determine if she was actually serious.

“Daryl,” he said quietly. Carol smiled at him.

“Well, it is very nice to meet you, Daryl,” she said. Daryl looked at her as if he doubted this was true. However, whether he wanted to reply or not he didn’t get the chance because their teacher started speaking and began the class. 

Carol enjoyed the class well enough, and when it was over she packed up her things and stood up to leave. Glancing to her side she caught Daryl Dixon staring at her. His face immediately blushed a deep crimson color and he averted his gaze. Carol smiled over at him. 

“It really was nice meeting you, Daryl,” she said kindly. “I’m sure I’ll see you around.” Daryl glanced over at her again but didn’t say anything. Carol sighed softly and headed from the classroom. She attended each of her classes throughout the day mostly without incident, until she went to her science class where her teacher informed her that she had already been assigned a lab partner. 

“Hi,” the lab partner introduced herself with a smile. “I’m Michonne.”

“Carol,” she introduced herself. 

The class was working on a small project in pairs for the day, so Carol and Michonne had plenty of time to talk and get to know each other while they worked.

“So, how’s your first day been?” Michonne asked politely.

“It’s been interesting,” Carol replied. “I’d only been in the building for about twenty minutes when that fight broke out this morning.”

“Oh, yeah,” Michonne said. “Those two are always at each other’s throats. Nobody really likes Daryl Dixon around here, and when football star Ed Peletier started picking on him it sort of became the new thing to do: hate on Daryl Dixon. I almost feel kind of bad for him.”

“That’s horrible,” Carol replied anxiously. “I met Daryl this morning, he seems so quiet. And Ed Peletier sounds like a jerk.”

“He is a jerk,” Michonne agreed. “But he’s the captain of the football team, the quarterback, and he’s pretty hot. So naturally, the entire school loves him. When he decided to hate Daryl Dixon, everyone else did, too.”

“That’s awful,” Carol murmured. “But Daryl must have some friends, right?”

“Not one,” Michonne said. “His older brother Merle is in prison, his mother died when their house burned down back in fourth grade, and his father’s always drunk and yelling at people. People tend to stay as far away from the Dixons as possible.”

“That might actually be the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” Carol said. “Poor Daryl. He must be so lonely all the time.”

Michonne shrugged. “He probably is. I try not to think too much about him.”

They spent the rest of class getting to know each other a bit, and by the time the bell rang they were both pretty comfortable in the idea that they might actually become friends. As they both headed in the direction of the cafeteria, Michonne asked Carol if she’d like to sit with her and her friends. 

“Sure, that’d be great,” Carol said. “Thanks.”

In the cafeteria, Michonne led Carol to a table where a few other students were already gathered. “Hey guys, this is Carol,” Michonne introduced her. “It’s her first day today.” As Michonne’s friends all said hello, she introduced each of them to Carol in turn. “That’s Rick. And this is Glenn and his girlfriend Maggie. And this here’s Tara.”

Carol smiled politely to each of them, desperately trying to commit each of their names to memory.

“You sure picked a great first day, Carol,” Glenn said enthusiastically. “The whole school keeps talking about that big fight from this morning. Did you see it?”

“Glenn,” Maggie said, nudging his arm gently. “Why don’t we ask her about more pleasant things?”

“No, it’s okay,” Carol said. “I actually saw it right when I got here this morning.”

“That must’ve been a hell of a welcome,” Rick said drily. 

“Oh, definitely,” Carol replied. 

“I mean it could’ve been worse,” Tara mumbled around a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “You could’ve walked in the door and witnessed Eugene Porter and Milton Mamet fighting over who will win the science fair this year. That’s a fight that none of us want to witness ever again.” Tara shuddered at the memory.

“Tara, stop talking before you traumatize the poor girl on her first day!” Glenn chastised while the others laughed. Carol laughed in spite of herself, glad that she had already found a nice group of people to befriend.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Thank you all so, so much for such a positive reaction to this story! Y'all are the best! This chapter is definitely my favorite so far, so I hope you all enjoy! :)

After lunch, Carol headed off to find her math class. She wasn’t particularly excited about that class – it had always been her least favorite subject in school – but she tried not to let it show as she introduced herself to yet another teacher. 

“Welcome aboard, Carol,” her math teacher said with a smile. “Go ahead and choose wherever you’d like to sit. There are no assigned seats in this classroom.”

Carol smiled back at the teacher, pausing to quickly survey the room. A familiar face towards the back caught her attention and without a second thought, she made her way to the vacant seat beside Daryl Dixon. 

“Hi again,” she said with a smile. 

Daryl glanced over at her. “Hi,” he mumbled quietly, apparently not very keen on the idea of striking up a conversation.

“You know, you can actually talk to me,” Carol said with a reassuring smile. “I promise I won’t bite.” 

Daryl glanced over at her from the corner of his good eye, but stubbornly remained silent. Carol sighed heavily. “Fine. Have it your way,” she muttered. “We can just sit here in awkward silence and refuse to talk to each other. That’s totally fine with me.”

“Apparently it’s not,” Daryl muttered, rolling his eyes at the ceiling. 

Carol smiled softly. “I just got you to talk, though, didn’t I? I call that mission accomplished.”

“Pfft,” Daryl snorted, still not looking at her. 

Carol giggled into her hand. “Seriously though, talk to me,” she said. “You seem nice.”

Daryl glanced over at her skeptically. “I don’ know what kind of people you’re used to dealin’ with, but I sure as hell ain’t what you call ‘nice’.”

“Okay, well, maybe that’s not exactly the right adjective, here,” Carol sighed. “But I would still like to get to know you, Daryl.”

“Why?” he asked, his brows knitted together as he clearly struggled to understand her reasoning. 

“Because I’ve already heard some stories about you, Daryl Dixon, and I would like to establish for myself whether or not they’re true,” Carol said pointedly. 

“Yeah, well, lemme save you the trouble. They’re true, okay? Every bad thing anyone’s ever said about my dumb ass? It’s true. So why don’t you take your stupid little smile and your annoying questions and just leave me the fuck alone?” Daryl’s eyes were narrowed into slits as he snarled at her; Carol tried her best to appear unfazed by his angry outburst. 

“Is this a front, Daryl? Is that what this is?” she asked softly, calmly, not wanting to upset him further. “You put on this angry façade to push people away? So that they buy into the rumors about you and that they’ll just leave you alone? That’s what you want, isn’t it? You want to be left alone, so you let people believe you’re as angry and crazy as they say so that you don’t have to deal with them?”

“Yeah,” Daryl snarled. “I wanna be left the hell alone. So why you still talkin’ to me?”

“Because I’m persistent,” Carol said stubbornly. “And because I’m not that easy to scare off.”

Daryl sighed in exasperation. “Fine,” he said. “Keep chatterin’ away over there. Just don’ expect me to sit here ‘n listen to ya.” And with that, he turned his gaze straight ahead and proceeded to keep it fixed there until the bell rang to signal the end of class. 

As she gathered up her things, Carol turned to face him, not sure exactly what she wanted to say but also knowing that she should say something. However, she found that Daryl was already bolting out of his seat and heading for the door. Carol sighed to herself. She couldn’t figure out exactly why she was so fascinated by this Daryl Dixon, and yet somehow she found herself intrigued by his unfriendly nature and she felt a strange desire to try to figure him out. She knew it was bizarre, and yet she also knew that she wasn’t about to stand down anytime soon. She would figure out this Daryl Dixon character, whether he wanted her to or not. 

Her head was still reeling as Carol left the classroom and headed down the hallway towards her locker. As she placed her math book inside it, she heard someone come to a stop beside her. 

“Well, well, looky here. I heard we had a new girl in school, but what I didn’t hear was just how damn cute she is.”

Carol looked up to find herself staring into the face of the other boy from the fight that morning. Ed Peletier. He had a large bruise spreading across one cheek and a cut splitting one of his eyebrows. Carol wasn’t sure exactly why, but she felt a surge of satisfaction at the idea that Daryl had managed to hurt him back. 

“I’m Ed Peletier,” he continued, draping an arm across her shoulders. “Captain of the football team. And who might you be?”

“I’m Carol,” she replied, closing her locker gently and sidestepping away from his arm. 

“Carol, huh?” he replied, stepping closer again and bringing a meaty hand up to toy with a lock of her hair. “Well, it is very nice to meet you, darlin’.”

“Please don’t call me that,” Carol said, gently swatting his hand away from her hair. 

“Ooh, looky here. New girl’s got some spunk. You know, I like it when my woman fights back a little bit. Keeps things interesting for me, you know?” Ed growled, leaning closer to Carol’s face. 

“Goodbye, Ed Peletier,” Carol replied firmly, taking a step back and turning away from him. 

“Now, did I say you could walk away from me?” Ed demanded, grabbing her arm tightly and spinning her back to face him. “I don’t think so,” he snarled. 

“Hey, Peletier!” A voice called from behind Carol. “Pretty sure the girl don’t wanna deal with your ugly ass on her first day.” 

Carol whipped around to see Daryl Dixon glaring at Ed, his hands already coiled into fists. Ed relinquished his grip on Carol’s arm, his own hands curling into themselves tightly, mirroring Daryl’s stance back at him. 

“Well, now, would you look at this?” Ed drawled. “New girl’s already got herself a new boyfriend. You like them dirty rednecks, girl?”

“Go to hell,” Carol snarled at him.

“Ooh hoo hoo!” Ed whooped loudly. “Carol and Daryl, crazy rednecks of a feather, eh? Hell, their damn names even rhyme! Must be a match made in backwoods America, am I right?” 

“Screw you,” Carol grumbled, turning away from him and stalking towards Daryl. “Come on,” she said. “Don’t even bother with him.” 

Daryl glanced at her quickly and then followed silently as she rounded the corner into a deserted area of the school. She was breathing heavily and couldn’t help but notice the way her surrounding classmates had stared, witnessing the entire encounter. Carol felt like she wanted to either hit something or puke. Or both. 

“Are you okay?” she asked instead, turning towards Daryl.

“’M fine,” he mumbled, kicking his shoe awkwardly. “Should prob’ly be askin’ you that. He hurt your arm?” he asked, gesturing to where Ed had grabbed her. Carol glanced down at her arm, noticing the red finger-shaped marks there. 

“I’m fine,” she said firmly. “That guy’s just a jerk. He isn’t even worth the time of day.”

“Tell me ‘bout it,” Daryl nodded. “Guy’s an asshole. Just seein’ him makes me wanna hit somethin’.”

“Well, you shouldn’t let him get under your skin like that,” Carol said. “That’s what he wants. Don’t give him the satisfaction of seeing you get all worked up because of something he says.”

“Easy for you t’ say, you only met his ass once,” Daryl grumbled.

“Daryl, the world is full of assholes,” Carol said.

“Can say that again,” he mumbled gruffly. 

“The world is full of assholes,” Carol repeated.

“Didn’ mean actually…” Daryl trailed off when he caught Carol smirking at him. She giggled softly and much to her surprise, Daryl actually cracked a small smile at her.

“Thank you, by the way,” Carol said after a moment. Daryl looked at her in surprise and she wondered if anyone had ever thanked him for anything before. “I don’t know what he planned on doing once he grabbed my arm, but I’m sure it couldn’t have been anything nice. So thank you for stepping in when you did.”

Daryl shrugged awkwardly, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on the ground. “Just don’ think he should be talkin’ to girls like that,” he said finally. 

“He shouldn’t,” Carol replied. “So thank you.” Daryl glanced up at her and she flashed him a warm smile. “You know, Daryl Dixon, I’m pretty sure this entire town’s wrong about you,” she said. 

“How d’you figure that?” he asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Well, for one thing, you’re a much better person than Ed Peletier could ever hope to be,” Carol said. “And quite frankly, I kind of like you, Daryl Dixon. I’m glad I met you today.” Daryl stared at her, his expression unreadable. Carol stared back for a moment before turning on her heel and heading off to find her next class. It was still her first day, and she didn’t want to be late.


	4. Chapter 4

At the end of her last class, Carol stopped briefly at her locker before heading out the rear entrance of the school. After passing by all the cars belonging to upper-class students, Carol started heading down the sidewalk in the direction of her new home. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn’t exactly sure what she’d really expected going into her first day at a new school that morning. But she also knew that she hadn’t expected it to be quite so eventful. 

She knew her parents would be anxious to hear all about her day, and she was already anticipating the probing questions they were sure to pummel her with over dinner that night. For some reason she couldn’t quite figure out, Carol felt hesitant to disclose all the gory details to them. She didn’t really want to talk about Daryl Dixon or Ed Peletier. She figured she could at least mention Michonne and her friends that she’d sat with during lunch, but aside from that, Carol resolved to keep the other details of the day to herself for now. 

As Carol rounded a corner, she noticed a figure walking ahead of her. Smiling slightly to herself, she called out to them.

“Hi, Daryl!” she said. The figure stopped in their tracks, turning around warily to face her. 

“You again?” Daryl asked gruffly. 

“Well, hello to you, too,” Carol said with a smile, coming to a stop alongside him. “And here I thought you were finally starting to warm up to me.”

“Pfft,” Daryl snorted, turning and resuming his walk. Carol fell into step alongside him. The two walked on in silence for a few moments until, surprisingly enough, Daryl spoke.

“Peletier didn’ bother you again, did he?”

Carol glanced over at him. “No, I didn’t see him for the rest of the day,” she replied. “Did he bother you again?”

“Nah,” Daryl said. “Didn’ even see his ugly mug. Lucky for him, ‘cause I prob’ly woulda punched him in the gut or somethin’.”

Carol stifled a giggle, but quickly composed herself. “You really shouldn’t indulge him, Daryl,” she said. “You’re just giving him the attention that he wants and you’re getting yourself into trouble in the process.”

“Pfft,” Daryl grunted again. “Bullshit. I’m just lettin’ out some frustration. Ain’t no harm in that.”

“Tell that to that shiner of yours,” Carol said, gesturing to his still-swollen black eye. Daryl glared silently at her, but Carol pretended not to even notice. “You really should put something on that,” she continued. “It’ll take the swelling down a bit.”

“Nah, I’m fine,” Daryl said.

“Daryl,” she pressed, staring intently at him. “Quit it with the tough guy act, okay? I get it, you’re tough and nothing bothers you, but Jesus Christ, take care of yourself. Putting ice on your black eye isn’t going to make you any less manly.”

“Ain’t ‘bout bein’ manly,” Daryl mumbled awkwardly. Carol glanced over at him, but he refused to meet her eyes. “Maybe I just don’ have ice at my house. Ever think ‘a that?” he asked gruffly.

“Well, then, come over to my house,” Carol said cheerfully. “I’ve got ice there.”

Daryl stopped walking suddenly and stared over at her, a look of confusion clouding his face. “The hell you just say?” he asked.

“I said you should come over to my house so we can put ice on that eye,” Carol said simply. “And I have a first said kit so we can clean up your knuckles a bit.”

“You just invite me into your house?” he asked incredulously.

“Yeah,” she said with a shrug. “It’s what friends do. They hang out at each other’s houses.”

Daryl snorted. “I don’t got no friends,” he said, resuming walking.

“Of course you do, silly,” Carol replied, walking with him again. “You have me.”

Daryl stared at her. “Listen, just ‘cause I stopped Ed fuckin’ Peletier from makin’ you his new punchin’ bag, that don’t mean we’re friends now,” he grumbled. 

“So what does it make us?” Carol asked sweetly.

Daryl was clearly not amused. “It don’t make us nothin’!” he exclaimed. “You’re just some girl that goes to school with me. That’s it.”

“Yeah, well, this girl is the only person in that entire school and in this entire town that’s even bothered to talk to you, Daryl Dixon, and she’s also the only person who doesn’t look at you like you’re some low-life, redneck hick,” Carol snapped. “So I think that alone should make me a bit more than just ‘some girl that goes to school with you’.”

Daryl stared at her again, not saying anything. 

Carol sighed heavily. “This is my house,” she said, coming to a stop. “Are you going to come inside?”

“No,” Daryl said flatly, turning to continue walking. 

“Daryl,” she said, reaching over and placing a hand gently on his arm. Daryl froze, glaring at her again. “Come inside,” she said softly. “I have homemade sweet tea if you want some.”

“You bribin’ me with fuckin’ sweet tea?” Daryl snarled.

“That depends,” Carol replied mischievously. “Is it working?”

Daryl sighed heavily. “Fine,” he grumbled. “But this better be some damn good sweet tea.” Carol giggled and eagerly led the way up to her house, unlocking the door and letting Daryl inside. 

“Sorry it’s still kind of a mess,” she told him, setting her backpack down and toeing off her shoes. “We’ve still got some things packed away in boxes.” She glanced over and saw that Daryl was staring around the small foyer in what appeared to be awe. “Daryl?”

“Sorry,” he muttered, seeming to come back to himself. “This place is just a lot nicer than my house.” 

“I’m sure your house is nice, too,” Carol said politely. Daryl gave her a look that told her she clearly had no clue what she was talking about. “Alright,” she continued. “Why don’t you go and make yourself at home in the living room over there while I get us some sweet tea?” She gestured in the direction of the living room. 

“Alright,” Daryl mumbled, walking in the direction she’d indicated. Carol went into the kitchen quickly, grabbing two glasses and filling them from the pitcher of sweet tea in the fridge. Putting the pitcher back, Carol brought the two glasses into the living room. She found Daryl sitting gingerly on the edge of the couch, looking extremely out of place among the perfect, clean pieces of furniture. 

“Here you go,” she said, setting the glasses down on the coffee table. She took a seat beside him on the couch. “Drink up.”

Daryl took the glass closest to him and Carol took the other. Taking a sip from her own, Carol watched as Daryl took a small, hesitant sip from his glass. She smiled as he proceeded to take another.

“That’s some damn good sweet tea, huh?” Carol asked, a teasing tone in her voice. Daryl glanced over at her.

“Pretty good, I guess,” he shrugged. Carol rolled her eyes.

“Okay,” she said, placing her glass down on the table. “You wait right here. I’ll be right back.”

Daryl didn’t reply, but he took another sip of his sweet tea, which Carol took as a good sign, so she stood up and headed back towards the kitchen. Opening the freezer, she removed the ice her parents kept for injuries. She then proceeded into the bathroom where she removed the first aid kit from the cabinet. 

Back in the living room, Carol placed the items down on the table beside her glass of iced tea. “Alright,” she said, opening the first aid kit. “Let me see those knuckles.” 

Daryl glanced over at her, reluctantly placing his glass down on the table. Carol opened one of the disinfectant wipes and gently took Daryl’s hand in hers. Daryl flinched at the contact, but didn’t recoil. Carol glanced up and met his deep blue eyes with her own, looking back down hastily as she moved the wipe along his calloused hands, removing the blood that had dried there. His hand felt rough and worn against her smooth one, but it was also warm and inviting in a way that Carol couldn’t quite describe. When she was finished with the first hand, she wordlessly released it and reached for Daryl’s other hand. He hesitantly obliged, holding it out to her so that she could give it the same treatment. 

“There,” she said once she was finished. “Much better. Now,” she continued, opening yet another disinfectant wipe. “Let me look at that cut on your cheek.”

“It’s fine,” Daryl said quickly, leaning away from her.

“Daryl,” she said, trying her best not to sound too exasperated. “Let me clean it for you so it doesn’t get infected.”

Daryl sighed and closed his eyes, sitting up straight so that she could reach his cheek. She brought the wipe gently to his face, and Daryl winced in pain at the contact.

“Sorry,” she muttered, gently rubbing the cut with the cleansing wipe. “Does it sting?”

“’M fine,” Daryl hissed, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. 

“Okay,” Carol said, discarding the wipe. “All done. Now, just put this ice pack on your eye and we’re good to go.” Daryl took the ice from her, hesitantly holding it up to his swollen eye. He started off slowly, the ice barely making contact with the bruise, but when he found how soothing it felt on his injured face, he held it there firmly. 

“Don’t push on your eye too hard,” Carol critiqued him. “Just hold the ice there gently.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said dramatically. Carol stifled a giggle. They sat in silence for a few moments before Daryl spoke again.

“Thank you,” he said softly. Carol smiled at him.

“You’re very welcome,” she replied, leaning back slightly and relaxing on the couch beside him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm blown away by all the kind words about this story! Thank you all so much!  
> So, I decided to switch to Daryl's POV for this chapter, I hope it still flows as nicely as it (hopefully) did from Carol's perspective :)

The time ticked by slowly as Daryl sat beside Carol on her perfectly clean, yet very comfortable couch. He thought this must be what it was like to sit on a cloud with the angels. Not that Carol was an angel. She was just some girl he went to school with. No, apparently she was his friend. But Daryl didn’t have any friends. He didn’t need any. Dammit, Dixon, he thought angrily to himself, just stop thinkin’!

Which, he found, was surprisingly easy to do when he was around Carol. One look from her clear blue eyes had his brain melting away into a puddle of mush. Not that he was about to admit that or anything, but he knew it was still true.

No one had ever had such an effect on him before. He wasn’t sure what it was about her that made him feel so disoriented, and that instantly put him on his guard. He had no clue what any feelings were other than perhaps rage, so this was all entirely new territory for him. Emotions. Feelings. Daryl had never bothered with any of that shit before. Feelings made you weak, his dad always told him whenever Daryl had cried during one of his regular beatings. Daryl had slowly learned how to reel in his emotions, always keeping them in check until he just never let himself feel anything anymore. 

Damn this Carol girl for coming along and fucking the whole thing up. 

He tried his best to pay attention and follow along while she chattered away, talking about growing up in Atlanta and how she’d been sad at first to leave all her friends behind when she moved, but now she didn’t think living out here in such a small town would be such a bad thing. 

“What was it like growing up here?” she asked intently, suddenly turning the conversation towards him. Daryl swallowed nervously, trying to think of what to say.

“You can play in the streets, here,” he said slowly. “There’s woods everywhere. Taught myself to hunt on weekends as a kid. Couldn’t ‘a done that in the city.”

“You taught yourself how to hunt?” Carol asked attentively. “What kind of things do you hunt?”

Daryl shrugged, shifting a little so he didn’t appear so self-conscious. “Mostly squirrel,” he said. “Gotten a few deer. Sometimes rabbit.”

“That’s so cool,” Carol said. “Do you use a rifle?”

“Nah,” Daryl said. “Crossbow.”

“Wow,” Carol said. “I am officially impressed.”

“Pfft. Ain’t nothin’ fancy.”

“Well, I still think it’s cool,” Carol insisted. “What made you decide to start hunting?”

Daryl shrugged. “Got hungry,” he said simply. Carol stared at him. “What?” he asked when she didn’t say anything. 

“You started hunting, as a kid, because you were hungry?” she asked. “No one fed you?”

“Nah,” Daryl shrugged. “Merle was in juvie, ‘n my dad… he ain’t really…” Daryl trailed off awkwardly, leaving his sentence hanging. This was why he didn’t like having friends, he thought to himself. Too many awkward questions like this one. 

“Oh, Daryl,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.” 

Daryl shifted awkwardly on the couch again. He didn’t need her pity, he thought. He was doing just fine with his life until she showed up with those stupid blue eyes of hers and that annoying habit she had of not leaving him the hell alone. Daryl thought of a few bitter remarks he could spit her way but before he could bring himself to say any of them, Carol spoke again.

“Is that ice pack still cold?” she asked, gesturing to the ice that he was still pressing gingerly against his black eye.

Daryl shrugged. “Not really.”

“Here, let me take a look,” Carol said, reaching for the ice pack. Her fingers brushed against his as she took it from him, her touch cool, like ice against his skin. He shivered involuntarily at the contact. He didn’t like it when other people touched him. It meant they were too close, and he was afraid that if anyone got close enough, they might see right through all that anger of his. They might see all that emotion he’d gotten so good at hiding away. 

“I think the swelling’s gone down a little bit,” she said. “Do you want me to go get you another ice pack? Or would you like to give your eye a break from the cold?”

“’M fine,” he mumbled quickly. “Should prob’ly get goin’, anyway.”

“Oh,” Carol said quietly. Did she look disappointed? Daryl mentally shook the thought away. Of course she wasn’t disappointed, she was probably glad to get rid of your stupid ass, just like anyone else would be. 

“Thanks for, well, you know,” Daryl said awkwardly. “The ice and the tea and shit.”

Carol smiled at him. “Don’t mention it,” she said. “Thanks for agreeing to come over.” Daryl stood up then and Carol followed suit, motioning for him to follow her. She led him back to the front door so he could grab his tattered old backpack and head home. 

Daryl smiled softly at her as she opened the front door for him. “Bye, Daryl,” she said as he stepped outside. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Yeah,” Daryl mumbled back. “See you at school.” He turned quickly and headed down her front steps, making his way rapidly to the sidewalk and heading towards his house. Hesitantly, he glanced back towards her house, finding that she was still standing in the doorway, watching him leave. When he looked back she waved, and Daryl felt his cheeks burn as they blushed crimson. He ducked his head and marched the rest of the way home, trying desperately to work his way through what the hell had just happened. Carol had said that they were friends now. Did she really mean that? No one had ever wanted to be Daryl’s friend before, so he really had no idea what it felt like to have a friend. Hell, he was pretty sure Merle didn’t even want to be his brother half the time, so why the hell would anyone ever actually choose to be his friend? Daryl’s head was reeling as he approached his run down, crumbling shithole of a house. Merle’s busted-up old motorcycle sat by the side of the house where Daryl had been working on it the day before, and several empty beer bottles littered the overgrown yard. Daryl sighed to himself. Home sweet home, he thought to himself, with no distracting new girls with deep, spellbinding blue eyes to complicate his life any more than it already was.


	6. Chapter 6

Carol closed the front door with a soft click. Leaning her back against it, she let her mind drift back to what had transpired that afternoon. Daryl Dixon had come over to her house. He’d let her take care of his wounds and drank her sweet iced tea. Hell, she thought, Daryl was officially even more of a friend to her than Michonne was. She made her way into the living room, her head still reeling. She threw away the cleansing wipes she’d used on Daryl, put the first aid kit back in the bathroom cabinet, the empty glasses in the sink, and the ice pack in the freezer. Ultimately, she found herself sitting alone in her bedroom and staring at the pale blue walls as she desperately tried to think about anything other than Daryl, which was a lot easier said than done. 

He taught himself to hunt because he got hungry, she thought to herself. She remembered Michonne telling her how his mother had died when they were kids, so she wasn’t surprised that Daryl hadn’t even mentioned her. What she kept focusing on was the expression on his face when he’d mentioned his father. Was it fear? Anger? Hatred? A combination of all three? She couldn’t quite place it. And yet, she couldn’t get the look on his face out of her mind until finally her mother saved her from her own thoughts by calling her downstairs for dinner.

At the dinner table, her parents drilled her with questions about her first day, just as she’d known they would.

“Did you meet any new friends?” her mother had asked eagerly.

“I did,” Carol replied easily. She’d been practicing her answer all day. “My lab partner, her name is Michonne. She’s really nice and she even invited me to sit with her and her friends at lunch today.”

“Oh darling, that’s just wonderful!” her mother exclaimed. “Your father and I are just so proud of you, dear, we knew you’d make lots of new friends in no time at all.” Carol smiled back at her mother, turning her attention back to her salad. The rest of dinner was fairly uneventful, much to Carol’s relief, and once it was over she practically ran back up to her room for the rest of the night. 

The following morning, Carol got up and got ready, kissed both of her parents goodbye and walked to school. Once she was inside the building, she headed for her locker and practically ran right over Glenn. 

“Carol!” he exclaimed. “What’s up? Heard you had quite the first day yesterday.”

“Really?” she asked, nervously twisting a lock of her hair around her finger. 

“Yeah, the whole school was talking about how you and Daryl Dixon stood up to Ed Peletier in the hall yesterday. Although, I gotta ask, did you really tell him to go fuck himself?”

“What?” Carol asked incredulously. “No! I think I told him to go to hell, but that was about it,” she said.

“Damn,” Glenn sighed. “I heard that you did. Which would have been totally awesome, by the way.”

“Is everyone really talking about this?” Carol asked warily.

“Well, it did happen in the middle of the hall in front of everyone,” Glenn said earnestly. “People saw, and then those people talked. It happens.” He glanced at Carol’s face and her anxiety must have been pretty obvious because he quickly added, “I mean, it’s just gossip. It’ll all blow over real fast, you’ll see.”

Carol sighed. “Thanks, Glenn,” she said. She turned to head for her locker again when Glenn spoke again.

“Although I do have one other question for you.”

Carol sighed. “Okay. Shoot,” she said.

“You and Daryl. You guys friends or something?”

Carol didn’t even hesitate as she answered. “Yeah. We are. Do you have a problem with that?”

Glenn blinked once at her. “No,” he said. “Actually, I think that’s pretty cool. Dude’s always by himself, so it’s about time someone finally talked to him.”

Carol thought about that for a moment before answering. “How come you’ve never talked to him?”

“I tried once. Thought the guy was going to bite my head off or something so I never really tried again. Kudos to you though for actually talking to him. I’ll see you at lunch, yeah?” Glenn said with a wave, heading off in the opposite direction. 

“Yeah, see you later,” Carol called, finally heading towards her locker. As she organized her books and prepared herself for the day, she thought about what Glenn had said. He’d wanted to talk to Daryl too, but Daryl had frightened him away. She wondered if Michonne or Rick or any of her other friends might have felt the same way. The thought made her smile slightly to herself as she closed her locker, ready to go about her day. As she headed in the direction of her first class however, she felt someone bump into her forcefully, almost sending her toppling over.

“Watch where you’re going, new girl!” someone snarled at her. Carol glared up into the face of none other than Ed captain-of-the-goddam-football-team Peletier. Just the sight of his smug face made her blood boil, but she knew better than to retaliate and she walked away quickly to save herself from doing something she might regret later on. 

“Fucking asshole,” she grumbled angrily as she slammed her backpack down forcefully and plopped herself into her seat in her English class.

“Well, hello to you, too.”

Carol started, looking over to find Daryl already sitting beside her. In her Ed-induced fit of rage, she hadn’t even noticed him. “Sorry,” she stammered out. “Hi, Daryl.”

“Peletier botherin’ you again?” he asked gruffly.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” Carol assured him, smoothing a hand through her hair. “He’s just obnoxious.” 

“Leave his ass to me,” Daryl said. “I’ll knock his teeth in for ya.”

“No, Daryl, you will not,” Carol said firmly. “You are not getting into trouble, again, because of Ed fucking Peletier.” 

Daryl chuckled once, very softly. “Ya know, you got quite the mouth on ya,” he said. “That’s three cusses in ‘bout thirty seconds.”

“And this is coming from you?” she asked, playfully raising an eyebrow at him. “And here I thought you’d be proud of my profanity skills.”

“Oh, very proud,” Daryl said solemnly. “But ya still got plenty to learn when it comes to cussin’ like a real hick.”

Carol snorted softly as she tried to suppress her giggling. Daryl smiled again, and Carol couldn’t help but notice how this time, the smile actually reached his eyes. He should smile like that more often, Carol thought to herself. 

English class passed by uneventfully, and before she knew it Carol was exiting the classroom with Daryl by her side. 

“So,” she said. “Anything interesting going on with you today?” Daryl merely shrugged in response. “Think Ed will bother you again?”

“Better fuckin’ not,” Daryl grumbled quickly.

Carol smiled. “And you say I have a potty mouth,” she teased.

“Pfft, I would never say the word ‘potty’,” Daryl muttered. 

Carol giggled into her hand. “Technically you just did,” she pointed out.

“Well, now, would you look what we have here,” a voice snarled from somewhere behind them, cutting off Daryl’s reply. “The obnoxious new girl and her redneck boyfriend. He given you fleas yet, darlin’?”

Carol didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was. And from the looks of Daryl’s curling fists, neither did he. 

“Don’t you fucking dare, Daryl,” she hissed at him. He glared over at her, the rage burning in his eyes.

“He don’t get to fuckin’ talk to you like that,” Daryl growled.

“Or hell, maybe you’re the one that’s giving the damned fleas to him,” Ed was still saying. “Hell, for all I know, you could be just as dirty as this redneck asshole.”

Carol’s heart filled with dread as Daryl whirled around and punched Ed square in the jaw. Hard. 

“Daryl, don’t!” she exclaimed, grabbing his arm and trying desperately to hold him back. 

“Aw, come on now, Dixon,” Ed sneered at him. “You really gonna let your little girlfriend hold you back? You aren’t going soft on me now, are you?”

With a yowl, Daryl wrenched his arm free from Carol’s grip and flung himself at Ed. His fist connected with his face just as Ed hit him with a blow straight to the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Gasping for air, Daryl dodged another blow and landed a few of his own. A crowd had gathered to watch again, and Carol felt tears begin streaming down her face as she desperately begged Daryl to stop. 

“Daryl! Daryl, please! Please stop, please, Daryl!” 

But Daryl just would not let up. He and Ed kept exchanging punches, Daryl’s black eye from the day before was puffy and swollen again and Ed’s lip was busted and bleeding. Carol wondered if it would ever stop.

“What on earth is going on here?” thundered a familiar voice. Carol swiped at the tears silently falling down her cheeks as Principal Horvath came into view. Daryl and Ed immediately froze where they stood, fists still raised. “You two again?” Principal Horvath asked, sounding tired. Suddenly he noticed Carol. “Carol! My dear girl, what happened? Never mind, let’s get you back to my office and we’ll chat? And you two,” he thundered, turning to glare at Daryl and Ed, each of them gasping for air. “You will both follow me.” 

Carol sighed, walking alongside Principal Horvath towards his office, with Daryl and Ed trailing behind them. There was no way this could possibly end well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, this one was fun! Thanks for reading!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I didn't want to leave you all hanging for too long wondering what Dale's reaction would be, so here's a cute little chapter! Enjoy!

“I want you two to sit in those chairs over there and do not move, under any circumstances. Do you both understand?”

Daryl and Ed both nodded sheepishly as they sank into the chairs in the corner of Principal Horvath’s office. In the meantime, Carol had taken a seat by the Principal’s desk, wiping her tears away on the sleeve of her sweater. 

“Carol, what happened?” Principal Horvath asked, taking a seat at his desk. “It’s only your second day.”

“I know,” she sniffed. “It’s just that I know Daryl’s going to get into trouble again, but Principal Horvath, that fight was all because of me.” Carol buried her face in her hands.

“Because of you?” he asked, bemused. “I’m a little lost, here. How was that fight because of you? You’re weren’t even the one fighting!”

Carol sighed. “Ed said something to me that wasn’t very nice, and that’s what provoked Daryl to hit him. We were just going to ignore him, but then he said what he did and that’s what made Daryl punch him,” she sighed.

“Why, you little snitch!” Ed snarled from the corner.

“Don’t you even talk to her,” Daryl growled menacingly. 

“Boys!” Principal Horvath barked at them. “Settle down, please. Now, Carol, what exactly did Ed say to you?”

Carol sighed and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what he said,” she replied.

“Of course it does, my dear. I need this information for my records. That way, if Mr. Peletier ever bothers either you or Mr. Dixon again, I have a written record of his history and can deal with him accordingly. Repeat offenders tend to get worse punishments, you see,” Mr. Horvath said with a smile. Carol returned the smile, hesitantly relaying the entire story to the principal. He smiled at her at the end of it. 

“Thank you, Carol,” he said. “Mr. Dixon, do you have anything you would like to add to Carol’s story?”

Daryl jumped in his seat. “Um, no,” he mumbled awkwardly.

“Alright, then. I don’t want to see you in my office for fighting ever again, Mr. Dixon, because next time there will be consequences. Do I make myself clear?” Daryl nodded vigorously. “Okay, then. You and Carol may go to your next classes. Mr. Peletier and I have a few things to discuss,” Principal Horvath said with a glare at Ed. 

“Thank you, Principal Horvath,” Carol said quickly, rising from her chair and leading Daryl from the office. Once they were both out in the hallway, she let out a deep breath. 

“Holy shit,” Daryl said quietly, leaning against the wall. 

“Tell me about it,” Carol said, still trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened. “You didn’t get in trouble. But Ed did,” she mumbled, glancing over at him.

Daryl exhaled and shook his head. “Crazy fuckin’ shit,” he said. 

“Yeah,” Carol agreed. “Crazy fucking shit.” The two of them stood there in silence for a few moments longer until Daryl straightened, clearing his throat. 

“C’mon,” he said. Carol wordlessly followed him down the hall, still lost in her own thoughts. Daryl hadn’t gotten into trouble. Ed would never bother either of them again. Everything was going to be just fine.

“Where’s your class?” Daryl asked, jerking Carol quickly out of her thoughts. 

“It’s around the corner up ahead,” Carol said. “Where’s yours?”

“Back that way,” Daryl said, pointing back the way they came.

“Then why the hell are you walking this way? Go to class!” Carol exclaimed.

Daryl shrugged. “Figured I’d walk ya to your class,” he said. Then his expression changed, almost as if he were questioning himself. “That alright?” he asked quietly.

Carol smiled at him. “Of course it’s alright,” she said warmly. Daryl nodded once, but didn’t say anything, stuffing his hands awkwardly into the pockets of his worn out jeans. “You’re going to have to come over again after school today,” she went on.

“Oh, yeah?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’ll have to get you some more ice for that eye,” she said sweetly. Daryl grunted in response. “I still have some of that sweet iced tea,” she said in a sing-song voice. Daryl frowned at her for a moment.

“Again with the fuckin’ tea?” he grumbled. 

Carol giggled. “It’s some damn good sweet tea,” she told him, grinning mischievously. 

Daryl sighed. “Alright,” he said. “Fine. But just so we’re clear, I’m just comin’ for the sweet tea.” 

“Oh, of course,” she said. “Definitely not to hang out with your new friend Carol.”

“Pfft, definitely not,” Daryl snorted. He glanced over at her then, suddenly quiet and bashful. He nervously chewed on his bottom lip with his teeth for a moment, as if he was pondering what he would say next. “I do like havin’ her for a friend, though,” he mumbled, awkwardly shuffling his feet, his eyes desperately evading her steady blue gaze. 

Carol smiled widely at him. “Good,” she said. “Because I really like having you for a friend too, Daryl.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Here's a new chapter for you! It's mostly to set up where I want to take the story next.... anyway, I hope you all enjoy! :)

The rest of the day dragged by pretty slowly. Carol felt the eyes of her classmates on her everywhere she went, and it was beginning to feel a bit unnerving. Nevertheless, she put on a brave smile and acted as if she didn't even notice them. 

It was far more difficult to ignore Michonne, however. 

"Oh. My. God. The entire school's talking about the fight from this morning," she gushed when Carol sat down beside her in science class. "What happened? I heard that Ed was bothering you and then out of nowhere Daryl hit him."

"It wasn't exactly out of nowhere," Carol replied awkwardly. "Ed wasn't exactly being very nice to me, and it set Daryl off."

Michonne gaped at her. "He hit Ed because of something he said about you?" She asked in awe. Carol nodded sheepishly. "Oh my God, that is so romantic!" Michonne nearly swooned. 

"What?" Carol choked out. "There is nothing romantic about any of this, Michonne." 

"Um, obviously there is. Ed insulted his woman and Daryl wouldn't stand for that, so he hit him. It's completely romantic!" Michonne argued. 

"It's completely platonic," Carol answered back definitively. "Daryl and I are just friends. Besides, I only just met him yesterday!" 

"So?" Michonne answered back. "There's no written rule for how long it takes to fall in love."

“Holy shit, I am not even entertaining this idea,” Carol answered hotly. “Daryl Dixon is my friend. And that is it.”

“What color are his eyes?” Michonne asked urgently.

“They’re blue,” Carol replied. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Describe them for me.”

“Um, they’re like a really deep blue. Kind of like the ocean, I guess,” Carol said. “I still don’t see what this has to do with anything.”

Michonne smirked at her. “You just said Daryl’s eyes are like the ocean.”

“Yeah, I guess I did,” Carol said. “So?”

“So,” Michonne said. “That means you’ve been staring at them long enough to describe them. Plus, if they’re the ocean, then does mean you’re drowning in them? Oh my God, this love story writes itself!” Michonne exclaimed excitedly.

Carol brought a hand up to her forehead. “That was the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my entire life.”

“I’m going to want all the gory details about your first kiss.”

“Michonne…”

“Ugh, Tara and Maggie are going to love this!”

“Michonne!”

“What?” Michonne asked innocently. “Too soon?”

“You think?” Carol asked.

“Okay, okay,” Michonne said, calming down a bit. “But when it does happen, then I want to be the first to say ‘I told you so’.”

Carol snorted quietly. “Yeah, sure,” she said sarcastically.

“I’m serious.”

“Okay, okay,” Carol said. “If it ever happens, you can say ‘I told you so’ as many times as you would like. I just hope you don’t mind waiting forever for it to happen.”

“Trust me, sweetie,” Michonne said with a knowing smile. “I won’t be waiting forever.”

Once their science class ended, Carol and Michonne made their way to the cafeteria for lunch. They were just outside the large room when Carol saw Daryl.

“Hey,” she said with a smile as he spotted her.

“Hi,” he said, eyeing Michonne nervously.

“Daryl, this is Michonne. Michonne, this is Daryl,” Carol introduced the two of them.

“It’s nice to meet you, Daryl,” Michonne said with a smile. “Carol’s said some really nice things about you.” 

Carol thought she might actually smack her as she watched Daryl’s cheeks flush a deep red. 

“Okay,” Carol said quickly. “Let’s go eat something, shall we? Daryl, would you like to come and sit with us?”

Daryl quickly shook his head no, his eyes wide.

“Are you sure?” Michonne asked. “I’m sure Carol would love to sit next to you.”

“Michonne, can I talk to Daryl alone for a minute?” Carol asked suddenly. 

“Why, of course you can,” Michonne said with a wink. “I’ll see you later. It was really nice meeting you, Daryl.” With a wave, she walked off to a table where Glenn and Rick were already taking their seats.

Carol sighed heavily. “Sorry about her,” she told Daryl. “She’s really a nice girl. Very talkative and gossipy, though.”

Daryl shrugged. “’S fine,” he mumbled. “Your day goin’ alright?”

“Yeah,” Carol nodded. “It’s been fine. How about you? Anyone bothering you about what happened this morning?”

“Nah,” he said with a shrug. 

“How’s your eye?” she asked, reaching a hand out gently to touch his cheek where he sported a large purple bruise. Daryl flinched at the sudden contact, and Carol withdrew her hand quickly.

“Sorry,” she mumbled quickly.

“’S fine,” he mumbled, his cheeks flushing scarlet. “Eye hurts like a sumbitch, though.”

“Well, why don’t you go to the nurse’s office and get some ice for it?” she asked. “And then I can give you some more when we get to my house later.”

“Nah, ‘m fine,” Daryl said.

Carol sighed. “You can be so damn difficult, you know that?” Daryl flashed her a small smile. “Come on and sit with us today,” she said. “You don’t have to talk or anything. Just sit next to me.”

Daryl shifted uncomfortably, keeping his gaze fixed on anything but her eyes. Carol sighed in resignation. “Alright,” she said. “Would you like me to sit with you? Would that be okay?”

Daryl’s blue eyes snapped up to meet hers. “But what ‘bout your other friends?” he asked quietly. 

“They’ll be fine without me,” she replied with a shrug. “I’ll sit with you today, if you’re okay with that.”

Daryl stared at her. “Ya really want to?” he asked quietly. 

“Of course I do,” she said firmly. “You’re my friend, Daryl. And I like spending time with you.” There was something in Daryl’s eyes as she spoke, something that looked so foreign on his face she almost didn’t recognize it. Happiness? Relief? A little bit of both? In little moments like this, sometimes Daryl could be almost impossible to read. 

“Alright,” he mumbled quietly. 

Carol smiled at him. “So where would you like to sit?” she asked gently.

“Uh, dunno,” he mumbled. “I usually sit by that tree out there,” he said, pointing outside to a large tree in the school’s main courtyard. 

“Okay,” Carol said, leading the way. “Let’s go outside, then.” Daryl stared at her for a moment before finally following her to the tree he’d indicated. Carol set her backpack down before plopping herself down on the ground beside it. “This is a nice spot,” she said. “And you’re in the shade here, so at least the sun isn’t in your eyes.”

“Mmhmm,” Daryl agreed, awkwardly settling himself down next to Carol as she pulled out her lunch.

“So, what do you have for lunch?” she asked brightly. 

Daryl shrugged his shoulders, idly playing with a small hole in his jeans. “Not hungry,” he said, his eyes downcast.

“What do you mean, you aren’t hungry? You’re a teenage boy, you’re supposed to always be hungry!” Carol said with a smile. When Daryl didn’t look at her, she changed her tone. “Do you want half of my sandwich?” she asked gently. “It’s just ham and cheese.”

Daryl shook his head. “Nah, ‘m good,” he said.

“Daryl,” she said. When he still wouldn’t look at her, she repeated herself. “Daryl.” He looked up at her finally, a guarded expression on his face. “I’m not going to eat the whole thing,” she said firmly. “So either you take this and eat it or it’s going in the garbage. It’s your choice, but I really don’t want to have to waste food.” Daryl kept staring at her in silence before he sighed in defeat, reluctantly reaching over and taking the half she offered him. 

“Thanks,” he muttered, taking a bite. 

“You’re welcome,” she said with a smile. “Besides, I’d really rather not sit here and eat my lunch while you just stare at me.”

“I ain’t starin’,” Daryl mumbled quickly, his face burning bright red. Carol giggled. 

“Here,” she said, reaching back into her bag again. “I have sweet tea.” She placed the bottle on the ground between them. “You can have some too, if you want.”

Daryl glanced at her. “We gonna drink from the same bottle?” he grumbled.

“Well, I don’t exactly have another cup or anything, so yeah, I guess we are,” Carol said. Daryl stared at her doubtfully. “You don’t have cooties or anything, do you?” she asked teasingly. 

“No,” Daryl answered a little too quickly. 

“Good,” Carol replied. “Then we can drink from the same bottle.” 

Daryl stared at her for a moment before shrugging his shoulders indifferently. “Alright,” he mumbled, reaching for the bottle and taking a sip. He held it out to Carol who took it and took a sip herself.

“See?” she asked. “No big deal.”

Daryl flashed her a small smile. “Sorry,” he mumbled awkwardly.

“What are you sorry about?” she asked.

“Just still gettin’ used to this havin’ a friend thing,” he said quietly. 

Carol smiled genuinely at him. “Well, I’m not going anywhere, Daryl,” she said. “So you’ll have plenty of time to get used to it.”

*****

After lunch ended, Carol and Daryl each went about the rest of their day separately. They’d agreed that after school ended for the day, they would meet by the back parking lot and walk together to Carol’s house for round two of ice and sweet tea. When Daryl met Carol there, she smiled widely at him. 

“Hey,” she said, falling into step beside him. “How was the rest of your day?”

“Borin’,” Daryl mumbled. “Couldn’t wait to get the hell outta there.”

“Aww, couldn’t wait to see me again, huh?” Carol asked jokingly. 

Yes, Daryl thought to himself, his face and neck burning under her gaze. Trying to play it off, he simply shrugged. He really did like having her for a friend, and he was absolutely terrified that he would do or say something stupid to go and fuck the whole thing up. 

“Aww, Daryl,” she said, the playful tone still lingering in her voice. “I knew you cared.”

“Pfft,” he snorted. “Whatever you say.” 

Carol giggled. “Good answer,” she told him with a smile. Daryl couldn’t help but return it. Her smile was infectious. Contagious. Irresistible. Dammit Dixon, he thought to himself. Stop lookin’ at her face so maybe you can actually think straight! He still couldn’t figure out what it was about Carol that made him feel this way, but it was seriously starting to freak him out. 

When they reached her house, it started out exactly as it had the day before. Carol got them each some sweet iced tea, and then went off to get the ice and first aid kit for Daryl’s wounds. She cleaned his knuckles again, as well as the few cuts he had scattered across his face. Then she passed him the ice pack and he held it to his swollen eye, sitting beside her quietly as they each sipped their sweet tea and talked about this and that, getting to know each other a bit better. 

After they’d finished their tea and the ice pack had been warm for a while, Carol sighed into the silence and leaned back against the couch beside him. Glancing over at her, he took in the way her curls fell gracefully around her shoulders, at the way her lips quirked up in the smallest of smiles. He’d never seen such an amazing, beautiful person, he thought to himself. As he thought it Carol shifted suddenly, leaning closer to him until her head came to rest against his upper arm, almost on his shoulder. Daryl stiffened at the sudden contact, immediately on his guard. But when Carol didn’t move away, he gradually felt himself relax, focusing on the warmth radiating from her, and on how good it felt to have her so close to him. Somehow, he’d managed to find the one person whose touch didn’t make him feel uncomfortable. It was an odd sensation, he thought, and yet he discovered that he was enjoying the feel of her against him. The hell is happening to you, Dixon, he wondered to himself.

“So,” she spoke softly. “Have you gotten used to this yet?” 

Daryl glanced down at her. “Think I’m gettin’ there,” he answered truthfully.

Carol hummed in response. “Good,” she said. “Because I have definitely already gotten used to it.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so there's a bit of a time jump between the last chapter and this one, but I felt like it was necessary. Hopefully it makes sense and you all enjoy!

The coming months passed by fairly uneventfully for Carol and Daryl. Ed Peletier was suspended for a few days for fighting, and was warned by a very serious Principal Horvath to leave Carol and Daryl alone lest he face even more punishment. Carol and Daryl spent plenty of time together, further solidifying their friendship to the point that Daryl would unquestioningly walk to Carol’s house with her every day after school, sitting in her living room sipping sweet iced tea and hanging out, either talking or sometimes even doing homework. Carol insisted on it, saying that he could be a great student if he’d just focus on his studies a little more. Daryl, coming from a family of notorious high school dropouts, had never studied for school a day in his life. But with Carol’s support he quickly saw his grades improve, and with them his self-confidence improved as well. It was as if certain qualities of the old Daryl Dixon had burned away, not entirely, but enough so that out of the ashes came forth a brand new person, one who knew that his entire evolution had been for the better, and was entirely because of her. Because of Carol.

They had fallen into a fairly steady routine, Daryl taking into account that although she was his only friend, he wasn’t the only friend that she had. So some days he told her to go along with Michonne or Tara, not wanting to keep her from having other friends besides him. He still couldn’t quite wrap his mind around why she would ever even want to be friends with a guy like him, and thought that she deserved better. But, at the same time, he really did love having her in his life. She was the best thing to ever happen to him; he was sure of it. He cherished every moment he spent with her, every smile she sent his way, every laugh they shared. 

By the time December rolled around, Daryl and Carol were still spending their lunch periods alone together by that same tree. However, the day finally came where thunderstorms rolled in and a constant sheet of rain fell throughout the entire day. Daryl stared at it with a sinking feeling in his stomach. 

“Still sittin’ outside today, right?” he asked Carol. She glanced at him, flashing him with one of her notorious smirks that he loved so much.

“Yeah, definitely,” she said sarcastically. “I just love the idea of coming back inside and smelling like a wet dog.”

“Think that’d be me,” he replied. “You’d smell more like a wet flower or somethin’.” Carol giggled softly.

“Alright,” she said. “Come on into the cafeteria, we can sit at Michonne’s table.” Daryl shifted uncomfortably. “Daryl,” she said. “Come on. You can sit at the end of the table and I’ll sit next to you. That way, you won’t actually have to talk to anyone, okay? You can just sit and sulk in the corner.”

Daryl huffed a heavy sigh, looking forlornly out the window at the rain. “Alright,” he mumbled quietly. Carol flashed him one of her dazzling smiles, the one that made him absolutely melt.

“Yay!” she said excitedly. “Come on!” In her excitement she grabbed his hand, half dragging him over to the table where her other friends had already gathered. 

“Hey guys,” she said brightly, taking the vacant seat beside Tara. Daryl wordlessly sat down in the seat on her other side, sitting at the end of the table just as Carol had promised him. “You’ve all met Daryl, right?” Each of her friends greeted him, and Daryl was surprised at how welcoming they were all being. Not even one of them was glaring in his general direction, which he took as a good sign.

“So, Daryl,” the one named Rick was saying. “Carol says you fixed up your brother’s old motorcycle all by yourself. Is that true?” Everyone turned their attention towards Daryl, awaiting his answer. Daryl immediately stiffened under their gazes, but felt himself relax slightly when Carol reached out to give his hand a small squeeze under the table. Taking a deep breath, Daryl answered. 

“Uh, yeah,” he said. “Yeah, I did.”

“That is so cool,” Glenn said eagerly. “I always wanted a motorcycle. Or a shiny red sports car. Either one would be cool,” he said wistfully while Maggie rolled her eyes at him. 

“Do you ride it?” Rick asked.

Daryl nodded. “Usually ride it to school, but it’s rainin’, so I didn’t today.”

“One day when you ride it to school, you’ll have to show it to us,” Glenn said excitedly. “And maybe you could even teach me to ride it,” he added hopefully.

“Pfft,” Daryl snorted. “Not a chance. If Merle ever found out even I rode it, he’d kick my ass.” Michonne said something then and the conversation continued off in another direction, which Daryl was grateful for. Simply mentioning his brother set his stomach into a fit of knots. Merle’s sentence would be up soon, just after New Year’s, and Daryl was definitely not ready for his big brother to come home. 

“Hey,” Carol whispered, leaning closer. Sometimes, it could be a little inconvenient how easily she could read him. “What’s wrong?”

Daryl shook his head. “Nothin’,” he lied. Carol stared at him for a moment. She obviously didn’t believe him, but she could usually tell when she shouldn’t push him, so she simply shrugged her shoulders, pulling her sandwich apart and handing him half. This had also become a steady part of their routine. Ever since that first lunch they’d shared together they had done exactly the same thing, splitting a ham and cheese sandwich, sweet iced tea from the same bottle, and a bag of pretzels. He could feel Michonne’s eyes fixed on him as he bit into his half of the sandwich, but he pretended not to notice. When Carol passed him the bottle of sweet tea and he took a sip, he tried to ignore the way that Michonne and Tara put their heads together, whispering eagerly. Michonne giggled, and it set Daryl on edge. It was perfectly obvious that they were talking about Carol and Daryl, and Daryl had to swallow another sip of sweet tea to keep himself from screaming at them. 

“Daryl? Hey,” Carol said quietly so only he could hear. “You okay? You seem really tense.”

“’M fine,” he mumbled a little too quickly. Carol simply looked at him, giving him that look she always did when she knew he was lying to her. He sighed, leaning closer so he could speak right into her ear. “Your friends over there keep gigglin’ ‘n it’s freakin’ me out,” he said softly.

Carol smiled at him. “I promise, they’re harmless,” she told him. Daryl returned the smile. He couldn’t understand how she did it, but with one smile she had him melting like complete putty in her hands. He’d do anything she asked him to, just to see her smile like that at him. Jesus Christ, Dixon, he thought to himself. What is this girl doin’ to you?

***** 

After lunch ended, Carol said goodbye to Daryl with a light touch to his arm. He flashed her one of his adorable little smiles before turning and heading off to class. Carol turned in the direction of her own class when she found Tara and Michonne were standing beside her eagerly. 

“What’s up?” she asked warily.

“You and Daryl,” Michonne said excitedly.

“What about us?” Carol asked hesitantly.

“So there is an ‘us’? I knew it!” Tara exclaimed, bouncing up and down. “You two are so fucking precious, it makes my heart melt, Carol, melt!”

“Whoa, okay, slow down,” Carol said quickly. “Daryl is one of my best friends. But that’s it. There is nothing more going on.”

“You two drank from the same bottle,” Michonne implored. “You shared your lunch with him because he was hungry. If that ain’t love, then honey, I don’t know what is.”

“Amen to that,” Tara agreed. 

Carol rolled her eyes. “You two are ridiculous,” she said. “A boy and a girl can be best friends without there being anything romantic between the two of them.”

“Of course they can,” Tara replied. “Just as long as their names aren’t Carol and Daryl.”

“Ugh, you two are impossible,” Carol said, feeling exasperated. 

Once they said goodbye and headed off in their own separate directions, Carol thought about what they’d said. Was it possible that she and Daryl had grown even closer over the past few months than she’d thought? Of course not, she thought angrily, you’re being ridiculous, Carol. This is just Tara and Michonne getting to your head. No way in hell could you possibly be feeling anything romantic for Daryl. Feeling confident in her own argument she took a deep breath and headed off to class, forcing herself to think about anything other than Daryl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a few of you have been asking for Merle to make an appearance at some point. Well.... I can now officially promise you all that he is coming. So stay tuned :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a Caryl Christmas! I know it's June right now, but the idea of writing Christmas with Carol and Daryl was just too good for me to pass up. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

In the coming weeks leading up to Christmas, Carol spent a lot of time thinking about what to get for Daryl. Shopping for her other friends was easy because she knew that Tara or Michonne would be happy with cute, simple gifts. But Daryl didn’t exactly have the greatest upbringing, so she doubted that he’d received many gifts over the years. She wanted to make sure that her gift to him was really thoughtful. 

When she finally realized what she should get him, she knew she had to go about it carefully. She tried desperately to get bits and pieces of information out of him for almost a week, until she finally got him to tell her what model his crossbow was. From that point on, Christmas shopping for Daryl was all smooth sailing for her.

His gift arrived in the mail a few days before Christmas and Carol took her time wrapping it, neatly tying a green ribbon around the wrapped box. Satisfied with her work, she stowed the gift beneath her bed, excited to give it to Daryl. She wasn’t expecting anything from him since they hadn’t even discussed the idea of gifts, but she really hoped he liked what she’d gotten for him. 

During lunch on the last day before Christmas break, everyone was anxiously chattering away about their Christmas plans.

“What are you doing for Christmas?” Carol asked Daryl, quietly enough so that no one else could hear. She knew that he still wasn’t totally comfortable with talking to the entire group, so the two of them usually held their own hushed conversations in the corner of the table.

Daryl shrugged. “Probably gonna go huntin’,” he said. “My dad probably won’t be home, left with some waitress ‘bout a week ago, haven’t heard from him since.”

“You can’t spend Christmas alone!” Carol said urgently. Daryl shrugged indifferently. “Come celebrate with my family,” she said. “Mom’s making ham and baked potatoes and peach cobbler for dessert. It’ll be fun!” she said brightly.

Daryl shook his head. “Nah, you spend the holidays with your folks.”

“Daryl, come on, I’m sure they’d love to meet you!” she said with a smile. “I’ve told them both about you and they keep saying that I should invite you over for dinner or something, so there, I just did. Come over for Christmas dinner.” When Daryl still looked doubtful, she smiled sweetly at him again. “Please?” she asked.

As she smiled at him, she could feel the tension diffuse off of him slightly. “Alright,” he said quietly. “You sure your folks won’t mind?”

“Of course they won’t!” Carol told him happily. “They’ll be thrilled. Besides, no one should have to spend their Christmas alone.”

Daryl was quiet for a moment before he glanced up at her through the locks of hair that fell into his eyes. “Thanks,” he whispered. 

By the time Christmas morning rolled around, Carol though she might burst from excitement. She and her parents exchanged their gifts for each other first, before Daryl got there. Her parents had gotten her a beautiful blue dress which she noticed really brought out the blue in her eyes. She decided to wear it immediately, turning round and round to get the full view in her vanity mirror. When the doorbell rang, Carol sprinted downstairs to the front door, which she yanked open anxiously to find Daryl in his best pair of jeans and a surprisingly clean shirt. 

“Merry Christmas, Daryl!” she said excitedly, springing forward and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, until he brought his arms up to hug her back gently. 

“Merry Christmas,” he mumbled uneasily. She released him from the hug, stepping back and allowing him to step inside. “You look…. Really nice,” Daryl said awkwardly, glancing at her new blue dress. 

“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “My parents gave me the dress this morning and I loved it so much I decided to wear it right away.”

“Well, it’s nice,” he mumbled. “Matches your eyes.”

Carol smiled at him. Was your guy best friend even supposed to notice things like that? She wondered. Before she could think on it any further, her father came into the room.

“You must be Daryl,” he said with a friendly smile. “I’m Carol’s father. Thanks for joining us today.” Her father held out a large hand and Carol smiled encouragingly at Daryl when he hesitated. He reached out his hand and shook hands with her father, giving him one of his shy smiles.

“Thanks for havin’ me come over,” he said.

“Of course, of course,” her father smiled. “Our Carol’s told us the most wonderful stories about you, it’s our pleasure to have you here.” Carol saw the surprise flit across Daryl’s face, but if her father noticed, then he didn’t show it. “Why don’t you two go and make yourselves comfortable in the living room? Dinner will be ready soon.”

Carol led the way, nearly bouncing in excitement. As they settled on the couch, Carol turned anxiously to face Daryl. “I have a surprise for you!” she nearly burst. 

“You do?” Daryl asked hesitantly. 

“Yep!” Carol said excitedly, jumping up to grab Daryl’s present from where she’d stowed it underneath the Christmas tree that morning. “Merry Christmas!”

Daryl stared at the gift as she held it out to him. “Ya got me a present?” he asked.

“Of course I did!” she said, beaming at him. “Go on, open it!”

Daryl took the present gingerly from her hands, staring down at it. His fingers pulled the ribbon off gently, and he seemed to be slightly in awe of the beautifully wrapped gift before him. He tore off the wrapping slowly and deliberately, seeming to relish in the idea that someone had actually thought to buy him something. Once he removed all the paper he stared down at the box in his hands, his eyes wide.

“Do you like it?” Carol asked eagerly. Daryl stared up at her.

“Ya got me new bolts?” he asked hoarsely.

“For your crossbow!” she said. “You told me a few weeks ago what kind of bow it was, so I knew what kind of bolts to order. And look,” she said pointing at the box. “Look really closely at the little wings on the back.”

Daryl squinted at the bolts, smiling his crooked half-smile at her. “They’ve got my name on ‘em,” he whispered.

“Yep,” Carol said proudly. “Custom bolts, just for you. Do you like them?”

Daryl stared up at her. “Are ya kiddin’? I love ‘em,” he said. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Carol said with one of her sunniest smiles.

“I, uh, I made ya somethin’.”

Carol stared at Daryl in shock. “You did?” she asked.

“Yeah. It kinda sucks compared to this, though,” he said, holding up the box of bolts slightly. 

“Oh, stop it,” Carol said. “Homemade gifts are always way better than buying something. They’re more thoughtful and personal.”

Daryl shifted awkwardly on the couch. “Didn’t have any paper to wrap it with, neither,” he mumbled.

“That’s okay,” Carol said brightly. “The paper just gets thrown away in the end, anyway.” Daryl stared at her hopefully.

“Okay,” he sighed, reaching into the pocket of his jeans. He pulled something out, and held it out to her. Carol took it from him gently, turning it over in her hands. It was a woven bracelet, with a small green stone tied expertly in place.

“Oh, Daryl,” she whispered. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” 

Daryl shrugged awkwardly. “It ain’t much. Found the stone walkin’ home one day, ‘n I thought it’d make for a nice bracelet or somethin’ for ya.”

“Do you know what kind of stone it is?” Carol asked, completely mesmerized by the little green rock.

“Jasper,” Daryl replied.

“Jasper,” she repeated, looking up to meet his eyes. “I love it,” she told him honestly. “Really. Thank you.” Daryl’s face flushed as he blushed a little, looking down at his hands.

“Here,” Carol said, holding her wrist out to him. “Help me tie it on.” Daryl reached over, his hands shaking slightly as he tied the bracelet snugly around her wrist, making sure he didn’t tie it too tight. 

“Perfect,” she said, staring down at it when he was finished. “Thank you, Daryl.” 

Daryl smiled his crooked little smile again, and Carol thought she’d never seen a more beautiful smile in the world. 

“Alright, kids!” Carol’s father called from the dining room. “Food’s on the table!” Carol and Daryl exchanged one final smile before getting up and heading into the other room for dinner. Daryl smiled politely as Carol introduced him to her mother, and he took his seat dutifully beside her at the table. 

“We’re so glad you decided to join us today, Daryl, Carol’s told us the nicest stories about you,” her mother said with a warm smile.

“Thanks for havin’ me here,” Daryl mumbled quietly, glancing sideways to look at Carol. As Carol took a bite of her potato, she watched Daryl out of the corner of her eye while her father talked to him about hunting. She loved it whenever anyone got Daryl talking about hunting or cars. He knew a lot when it came to either subject, and if you let him he could probably talk your ear off for hours. Seeing him get excited enough to willingly keep up an entire conversation always warmed her heart, and she wished it would happen more often. She loved the way his deep blue eyes sparkled, showing his interest. They really were like the ocean, she thought to herself. And looking into them for too long, as she’d been doing recently, had shown her that they were a little too easy to get lost in. He truly had beautiful eyes which, coupled with one of his rare smiles, was a deadly combination for Carol, who was still trying to figure out her own bizarre feelings for Daryl. 

Daryl was her best friend of course, but you weren’t supposed to feel butterflies in your stomach whenever you looked into your best friend’s eyes. You weren’t supposed to think about what it would feel like to run your fingers through your best friend’s shaggy hair, or what it would feel like to be in his arms. And you most certainly were not supposed to think about what it would feel like if you leaned just a little bit closer to him, pressing your lips tenderly against his and feeling him kiss you back. No, Carol thought to herself, friends were definitely not supposed to think about kissing each other. 

Carol still wasn’t sure where all these thoughts had come from. It was as if one day she’d just looked at Daryl and suddenly she was thinking all these crazy thoughts. She hadn’t told anyone what she’d been thinking about lately, but it felt as if she never stopped thinking this way anymore. And the more time she spent with Daryl, the worse it got. All he had to do was lick his lips while he was talking and suddenly she was lost in her own thoughts, thinking about what it would feel like to kiss those lips of his, to feel his tongue moving against her own, to feel his hands in her hair as they kissed each other breathless. 

She had a problem. A very serious problem. And she had absolutely no idea what to do about it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Sorry this was the longest it's taken for me to update a new chapter, but the Saturn Awards proved to be a major distraction from my writing last night. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! :)

Over the week of Christmas break, Carol and Daryl spent plenty of time together, usually meeting at Carol’s house and spending the day doing whatever came to mind. One morning, a few days before New Year’s, they met up at a little park just down the street from Daryl’s house. He got there a few minutes before she did, and he sat down to wait for her at one of the picnic tables. She arrived just a few minutes later, and took a seat beside him on the picnic bench. 

“So, what are we doing for New Year’s?” she asked immediately.

“Uh, are we doin’ somethin’?” he asked. “Never said we were.”

“Well, of course we are,” Carol told him. “I didn’t let you spend Christmas alone, and I’m sure as hell not about to let you spend your New Year’s alone, either. Besides, my parents are going to a New Year’s Eve party, so that means I’d be alone too, and I don’t think we should both spend New Year’s alone when we could at least be spending it together.”

Daryl nodded slowly. “Alright,” he said. “So what’re we doin’?”

“Well,” Carol replied. “I was thinking that maybe we could hang out at my house. I’ll get some snacks and make a whole fresh batch of sweet tea and we can just camp out in my living room watching movies and stuff.” She shifted in her seat to glance over at him. “What do you think?”

Daryl thought for a moment. Hell, he thought, anything sounded good to him as long as he was spending time with Carol. “Sounds good,” he said aloud, keeping his actual thoughts to himself. He was perfectly content just to be in her presence, but of course he would never actually admit to that out loud.

“Awesome!” Carol said excitedly. “So what kinds of movies do we want to watch?”

Daryl shrugged. “I don’ really watch movies,” he mumbled. “So whatever you want, I guess.”

“You know what we should do?” Carol asked excitedly. “We should have a Lord of the Rings movie marathon. The extended editions.”

Daryl didn’t even know what that meant, so he simply shrugged his shoulders and said, “That sounds fine.”

“Have you ever seen those movies before?” Carol asked. Daryl shook his head no. “Okay, then that’s definitely what we’re going to do. What kind of snacks do you want me to get?”

Daryl shrugged again. “Don’t matter to me,” he mumbled.

Carol sighed. “You know, you really suck when it comes to planning things,” she said teasingly, nudging his shoulder with her own. He shrugged again, and Carol smiled at him. “Okay, I guess I’ll just get us some potato chips and pretzels or something. And for dinner we could always just order takeout.”

Daryl nodded. “See, you don’ even need me to plan this shit,” he said with a small smile. Carol smiled back at him, and he felt his heart melt instantly. He could stare at that beautiful smile of hers all damn day if she’d let him, and he got lost in the way her blue eyes twinkled at him. Like fuckin’ stars, he thought to himself. He’d lost track of the number of times he’d lost all train of thought around her, focusing on the way her lips formed his name, on the way her nose crinkled slightly when she laughed, the way it felt when their fingers brushed against each other’s accidentally. She was absolutely mesmerizing, he thought, and he couldn’t get enough of spending time with her.

“Okay,” Carol was saying. Dammit Dixon, he mentally chastised himself. Snap out of it and pay attention to her when she’s talkin’ to ya! “So, I figure you should be able to come over around five thirty. We may only be able to get through the first two movies, but that’s fine, we’ll just have to hang out again next week to watch Return of the King.”

“Alright,” Daryl replied, noticing that she was already planning ahead to the next time they would hang out. He loved how sure she was of their relationship, and he loved how she never even had to ask him if he wanted to spend more time with her. It was like she already knew the answer without even having to ask. He’d personally never been sure of anything in his entire life before, except maybe his own insignificance in the world, but that all changed for him when Carol came into his life. She continuously made him feel important, reminding him every day of his worth and importance. He never doubted for a moment that she meant every word, and yet he still struggled to understand how on earth this perfect angel with the most captivating blue eyes, the softest auburn curls, and the most magnificent smile that he could literally stare at all day, could ever think of him in that way. Not even he regarded himself so highly.

Looking into her flawless blue eyes, Daryl Dixon knew he had never been so sure of anything in his entire life. Carol was the most amazing person he had ever met, and he knew in his heart that slowly but surely, he was falling hopelessly and desperately in love with her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The New Year's chapter! I hope you all enjoy, and I really hope it lives up to your expectations! :)

Carol’s parents left the house on New Year’s Eve around 5:00pm, which left Carol with about half an hour to get everything ready before Daryl arrived. She rearranged the living room slightly, pushing the coffee table off to the side. In the center of the room she laid down several thick blankets and quilts with a large heap of various sized pillows so that they could relax comfortably on the floor and still see the television. She left two extra blankets folded neatly, one for each of them, just in case they got a little chilly. She filled one bowl with potato chips and another with pretzels and left them on the coffee table with two fresh glasses of sweet iced tea. She’d ordered a pizza for the two of them to share, and she placed that in the center of the table as well. Once everything was ready, Carol stood back to admire her work. She had all three boxed sets of the Lord of the Rings extended versions ready to go and, if she did say so herself, this was shaping up to be the best New Year’s Eve yet. 

When the doorbell rang, Carol took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. She couldn’t understand why she was so nervous – it was just Daryl. Her best friend Daryl, she told herself sternly as she walked to open the front door. He’s just your best friend and there is absolutely nothing romantic about your feelings for him, she thought to herself angrily. You will not think about kissing him tonight. You will not stare into his eyes for too long. You won’t even think about running your fingers through his hair. Taking another deep breath, Carol opened her front door.

“Hey,” she said with a smile.

“Hi,” he said with a small smile of his own. She stood back enough to let him come inside, and he kicked his shoes off at the door.

“Everything’s all set up in the living room,” she told him. She followed Daryl into the other room and glanced over at him to try and see how he would react. He paused in the doorway for a moment, taking in the scene before him.

“Ya didn’t have to do nothin’ fancy,” he said, his eyes fixed on the heap of blankets and pillows set up on the floor. Now that Carol looked at it, it sort of looked like a big bed for the two of them to sit on. Dammit Carol, she inwardly scolded herself. The last thing you should be thinking about right now is you and Daryl in a bed!

“It’s not really that fancy,” she said quickly. “It’s literally just blankets and pillows. I figured we’d be more comfortable that way.” She smiled shyly at him, and she was relieved to see his lips quirk up in the smallest of smiles as well. She led the way into the living room then, making herself comfortable on one side of the blanket while Daryl helped himself to a slice of pizza. 

“So, what’re we watchin’ again?” he asked around a mouthful of pizza.

“Lord of the Rings,” Carol replied, grabbing the box set of The Fellowship of the Ring. “They’re really good movies, and they’re based off of a series of books.”

“Alright,” he said, taking a sip of iced tea. Carol set up the first movie and pressed play, taking a slice of pizza and her glass of iced tea before sitting down beside Daryl. The movie started and the two of them watched for a few moments before Daryl reached over and pressed pause on the remote.

“What the fuck are those things?” he asked, pointing at the screen.

Carol giggled. “Orcs.”

“The fuck are orcs?”

“Well, they were elves once, but now they look like that. They fight for Sauron, the main villain.”

“Elves?” Daryl asked. “Jesus Christ, thought you said these movies were good.”

“They are good!” Carol argued. With a smirk she said, “Just wait until the hobbits show up.”

“The fuck is a hobbit?” Daryl nearly shrieked. Carol giggled into her hand. 

“And don’t forget about the wizards! Ooh, and the dwarves!” she said, laughing at his confused expression. Daryl sighed heavily. 

“Alright,” he said, “Just play the damn movie.” Carol pressed play and although Daryl had a lot of questions, he gradually came to relax, leaning back against the pillows and enjoying the movie. When the first disc ended, he quickly sat up. “The hell happened to the movie?”

“That’s the end of the first disc,” Carol explained, reaching for the box. “Now I have to put in disc two.”

“Oh,” Daryl said, leaning back against his pillows. “Alright.”

“See, I told you these movies were good,” Carol told him with a smirk.

“That’s the last time I don’t listen to ya,” Daryl said, taking a sip of iced tea. “Hold on though, I gotta take a piss.” He stood up, walking out of the living room to the bathroom. 

“Thanks for sharing!” she called after him. She smiled to herself then. This was nice, she thought, sitting beside Daryl, eating pizza and watching movies. When Daryl came back into the room, she noticed that he sat just a little bit closer to her. Whether he did it on purpose or not, she didn’t know, but Carol definitely wasn’t complaining. About halfway through the second disc, Carol started to feel a little cold, so she wrapped one of the blankets around herself.

“You okay?” Daryl asked, glancing over at her.

“Just a little cold, that’s all,” she said. “I’m fine, though.” Daryl stared at her for a moment, chewing lightly on his bottom lip. Dammit, he needs to stop doing that, Carol thought. After a moment though, Daryl’s lip-biting was the least of her concerns. She watched as he slid even closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her to rest in his arms. 

“This warmer for ya?” he asked, glancing down at her. Damn, his eyes are so blue, Carol thought to herself.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Thanks.” Daryl grunted in response and turned his attention back towards the TV. She wondered what he was thinking about. Definitely not the same things you’re thinking about, she inwardly scolded herself. There was absolutely no way that Daryl could have ever thought about kissing you, she thought. Hell, when you first met him he barely even let you touch him. 

Yeah, but look at him now though, holding you in his arms like this, she argued with herself. Maybe he’s having these weird conflicting emotions about you, too.

No, stop that Carol, she yelled silently. Daryl isn’t thinking these things about you, and you shouldn’t be thinking them either. With an angry sigh, Carol shifted in his arms slightly, turning towards him a little more. He was surprisingly comfortable, she thought to herself.

“You okay?” he asked for the second time that evening. 

Carol looked up into his blue eyes and, seeing the concern there, she couldn’t help but smile up at him. “I’m okay,” she assured him. Daryl continued to stare into her eyes for a few seconds, and she watched as his expression shifted from concern to something else that she couldn’t quite read. When he turned his gaze back to the TV again, Carol brought her head to rest on his shoulder, inhaling his scent every time she breathed. He always smelled like the outdoors, the smell of fresh air constantly lingering in his shaggy hair. It was Carol’s favorite smell, and being this close to him was something she wished would happen more frequently. He was intoxicating, and as she relaxed in his arms, she found herself unable to think about anything other than his scent as it lingered in the air all around her. 

When the first movie ended, Carol realized she would have to move. Reluctantly, she glanced up at Daryl. “Want me to put in the second movie?” she asked.

He looked down at her. “Guess that means I gotta move my arms, huh?” he asked. 

“That would probably help,” Carol told him. The moment he did move his arm, she almost reached over and pulled it back around herself. As she stood up to put in disc one of The Two Towers, she felt a chill as the absence of his arms became increasingly evident, and she hurriedly put the next disc in and pressed play. She then returned to her seat beside Daryl and bit back a sigh of contentment when he wrapped his arms around her again. As the movie began, she nestled deeper into his arms, breathing him in and closing her eyes. Without even realizing it, she drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep. She must have slept for quite a while, because she missed at least an hour of the movie. When she awoke, she shifted slightly, causing Daryl to stare down at her.

“Hey,” he whispered. “Ya fell asleep.”

“I see that,” Carol replied, reaching up to rub her eye. “You know, you’re surprisingly comfortable.”

“Pfft, glad at least one of us is comfortable,” Daryl grumbled. “My arm fell asleep ‘bout the same time you did.”

“Oh,” Carol mumbled, moving to shift away from him. “I’m sorry.” She tried to move away to give his arm a break, but was surprised when she felt his arms tighten around her instead.

She brought her gaze questioningly to his, and his expression was indecipherable again. “I ain’t exactly complainin’,” he whispered.

Carol stared into his eyes for what felt like centuries until she felt herself relax once more. She brought her head back down to rest on his shoulder again, and the two of them continued to watch the movie in silence. When disc one ended, Daryl sighed heavily. 

“Guess this means I gotta move my arm again?” he grumbled. Carol was pleasantly surprised to find that he didn’t sound too happy about the idea.

“Yeah,” Carol said. He moved his arm slowly and Carol sat up, stretching her back deliberately. They’d been sitting in the same position for so long, she was surprised she could even move at all.

“Holy shit,” Daryl grumbled, flexing his arm slowly. “That feels weird.”

“Sorry,” Carol mumbled, glancing at him guiltily. 

“’S okay,” he smiled at her. “Let’s just switch sides this time. Give my arm a break.”

Carol smiled too. “Okay,” she said, moving to switch over to disc two. Daryl slid over so he was sitting in her seat, and Carol sat back down on his left side this time. He drew his other arm around her, holding her close to his chest, and this time Carol couldn’t hold back the blissful sigh that escaped her lips. She wondered to herself if she’s just imagined the smile that spread across his face at that. 

The movie finished after 11:30 and as the end credits rolled across the screen, Carol gazed up at Daryl. “It’s almost midnight,” she said. Daryl nodded, but said nothing. “Have you ever watched the ball drop at midnight?” she asked. 

“The what?” Daryl asked.

“The New Year’s celebration in New York City,” she explained. “They show it on TV every year. Millions of people gather in Time’s Square in New York and there’s music and it’s loud and at midnight there’s this giant ball at the top of a tower and it drops slowly to signal the New Year.”

Daryl shook his head, still looking confused. “Never heard of it.”

“Well then,” Carol said, reaching for the TV remote. “I guess I know what we’re watching next.” She switched to live TV just a few minutes before midnight. “See, they have that little timer in the corner of the TV, and they’ll count down the last minute until midnight. And then you see that big glowing ball up there? It’ll start moving down slowly and everyone will scream ‘Happy New Year’ and there’ll be confetti and lots of noise.”

“Sounds horrible,” Daryl said, wrinkling his nose. Carol laughed. “People actually go to this shit?”

“People travel from all over the world to go to this shit,” Carol told him. Daryl snorted.

“Think I’d rather be right here,” he said. His face flushed slightly as he said it, but Carol hardly noticed as she smiled brightly at him.

“Good, because I would definitely rather spend my New Year’s here with you too, Daryl,” she said. His response was cut off as the people in Time’s Square loudly started to count down the last minute until midnight. “Here we go,” Carol whispered. 

When the clock hit 12:00, Carol and Daryl watched as the ball dropped, the confetti flew everywhere and people cheered. As the first of the New Year’s kisses started flashing across the screen, Carol turned to look at Daryl, surprised to find that he was already staring at her.

“Happy New Year, Carol,” he whispered.

“Happy New Year, Daryl,” she replied breathlessly. And then, she wasn’t sure what compelled her to do it, but she leaned into him, closing the small distance that remained between them and pressed her lips gently against his. She felt him stiffen for a moment, and she worried that maybe she’d gone too far and pulled back quickly.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t know why I did that. God, I’m so stupid,” she started ranting, looking wildly into his eyes and trying to gauge his reaction.

“Carol,” he whispered, the smallest of smiles dancing across his lips. He brought a hand up to cup her cheek, brushing his thumb gently across her bottom lip. Carol shivered in his arms, still unsure of what he was about to do.

As if he could read her thoughts, Daryl chased away all her doubts as he leaned in close again, pressing his lips to hers. He was tentative and seemed almost unsure of himself at first, but as he kissed her he slowly gained more confidence, pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss. Carol’s mind was blank and she let go of all her doubts, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and kissing him back fiercely. She was surprised to find that all that time she’d spent fantasizing about kissing Daryl had absolutely nothing on the real thing. Kissing him for real like this was a million times better than even her most vivid daydreams, and Carol never wanted it to end.

When Daryl pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers, gasping slightly. Carol closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she struggled to understand what had just happened. She’d kissed Daryl. Daryl had kissed her. Holy shit, she’d just kissed her best friend. And it had been absolutely amazing. 

When her eyes fluttered open again, she found Daryl’s deep blue eyes boring directly into hers. 

“Happy New Year, beautiful,” he whispered, and Carol’s heart soared as he leaned in to kiss her again.


	13. Chapter 13

Their first day back to school after Christmas break was over, Daryl picked up Carol at her house. She heard the rumble of Merle's motorcycle coming down her street, and she was ready and waiting for him on her front steps. He pulled into her driveway and parked, and Carol climbed onto the back of the bike, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. She noticed that he blushed a deep crimson color at the kiss, but chose to ignore it. After kissing him for so long on New Year's, Carol had absolutely no doubts about her feelings for Daryl, or about his feelings for her. 

"Hold on tight," Daryl said, backing the bike up slowly. She'd ridden the bike with him a few times before, but she'd never before been so aware of her body pressed up against his back, or of her arms wrapped tightly around his torso. She could feel his heart hammering away inside his chest, and she knew that he was aware of all these things, too. 

In the school parking lot, Daryl parked and killed the bike's engine. Carol climbed off first, resting a hand on his shoulder to steady herself. 

"Ya alright?" He asked.

"I'm good," she said, smiling at him. He climbed off after her and stood there awkwardly, running one hand through his disheveled hair. God, I'd love to do that, Carol thought to herself. 

"So," Daryl mumbled awkwardly. 

"So," Carol repeated, gazing up at him. His gaze flitted to hers and then down to the ground again, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Oh, for the love of God," Carol snapped. "Come here." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, kissing him softly. His arms came up around her waist as he kissed her back, and Carol sighed contentedly in his arms.

“You’re not allowed to make this awkward,” she mumbled against his lips, kissing him again.

“I’m great at makin’ things awkward, though,” Daryl replied, looking down into her eyes.

Carol chuckled at that. “Just please don’t make this awkward,” she said. 

Daryl flashed her one of his adorable little half-smiles that she loved so much. “Alright,” he mumbled. “I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask,” Carol said with a smile. She gave him another quick kiss before releasing him and heading into the school. As they walked inside, Daryl held the door open for her and once they were in the building he reached tentatively for her hand.

“This okay?” he asked, running his thumb across her knuckles. 

Carol smiled. “Of course it is,” she said. 

“Holy shit.” Carol and Daryl froze in their tracks. They hadn’t heard that voice in quite a few months, but there was no mistaking it. Carol turned around slowly to see Ed Peletier skulking nearby with a few of his football cronies.

“Fucking Carol and Daryl, holding hands like the little flea-infested lovebirds they are. I fucking called this months ago, didn’t I boys?” His henchmen snickered in agreement. 

Carol glared at him. “You’re supposed to be leaving us alone,” she warned.

Ed shrugged. “Guess I don’t care,” he said. “What’re you gonna do about it anyway? Cry to old man Horvath?” Carol felt Daryl’s hand tense in her own, and she flashed a warning glance at him.

“You know what? Goodbye Ed,” Carol said definitively. “Come on, Daryl.” She turned and started pulling Daryl in the direction of her locker. There was no way she was going to let Ed provoke him into another fight. 

“Yeah, Dixon, go follow your precious little snitch of a girlfriend,” Ed sneered. “She given you her fleas yet? I bet she’s absolutely riddled with diseases…” 

Daryl whirled around, wrenching his hand from Carol’s grasp. “The fuck you just say ‘bout her?” He demanded angrily. 

Ed faced him evenly, his ugly smirk growing wider by the second. “I was just thinking about all the different diseases she could give you, Dixon. Nasty, dirty little thing, that girl…”

Daryl’s hands were curled into fists and he was fully prepared to lunge at Ed. Carol closed her eyes and prepared for the worst.

“Now, what seems to be the problem here?”

Carol opened her eyes again to find Principal Horvath standing between Daryl and Ed. Thank God, Carol thought in relief.

“Nothing, sir,” Ed said solemnly. “I was just heading to class.” With a curt nod to his henchmen, Ed turned and headed down the hall, pausing only to flash a smirk at Carol that made her skin crawl. Daryl uncurled his fists slowly, but he still seemed tense. 

Principal Horvath turned to Daryl, his expression completely serious. “Remember what I told you, Mr. Dixon,” he said sternly. With a warm smile to Carol, he turned and headed in the direction of his office. Carol sighed, coming up to rest her hand gently on Daryl’s arm. 

“Hey,” she said. “Look at me.” Daryl turned slowly to face her, the rage still burning clearly in his eyes. Carol sighed and moved her other hand up to cup his cheek gently. “You can’t let him rile you up like that,” she whispered.

“He can’t fuckin’ talk ‘bout ya like that,” he growled. Carol smiled at him.

“He doesn’t bother me,” she told him. “He shouldn’t bother you, either. He’s just an asshole, and his words don’t mean anything. Okay?” 

Daryl sighed heavily and gazed down at her. “Okay,” he mumbled, but he still didn’t look convinced. Carol sighed inwardly, and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him. His arms came around her waist as she went to pull back, holding her in place as he deepened the kiss. Carol found herself getting lost in the feel of his lips against hers, leaning further into him as his hands held her close. Then she remembered where they were.

“Daryl,” she whispered, pulling back. “People are watching.” She glanced around the hall quickly to see a few people grinning over at them.

“Let ‘em watch,” Daryl grumbled. “I wanna keep kissin’ ya.” His cheeks burned bright red as he realized what he’d just said, and Carol giggled softly, disentangling herself from his arms and taking his hand.

“You can kiss me later,” she said. “Right now we have to go to English class.”

***** 

“Well, now, look what the cat dragged in. Carol Dixon, huh?” Michonne’s eyes twinkled as Carol took her seat beside her in science class. 

“Excuse me?” Carol asked, her cheeks flushing.

“I heard all about your little make-out session with Daryl in the hallway this morning,” Michonne said smugly. “Tara says she saw you two with her own eyes, and you were practically eating each other’s faces.”

“Oh my God,” Carol squeaked, covering her face with her hands. “That is absolutely not what happened. It was just a kiss.”

“Just a kiss my ass,” Michonne teased. “But anyway. I gotta know. How was it?”

“How was what?” Carol asked warily.

“Kissing Daryl, of course!” Michonne exclaimed. “Is he a good kisser?”

“I am definitely not answering that question,” Carol said, knowing that she must be blushing fiercely. 

“Is he that bad?” Michonne asked sadly.

“What, no!” Carol said quickly. “No of course not, it’s just…” she trailed off slowly when she caught Michonne smirking at her. “Oh, crap,” she whispered.

“So Daryl Dixon is a good kisser,” she said triumphantly. 

“You know, you’re a terrible friend sometimes,” Carol said hotly.

“Oh, trust me honey, I know,” Michonne said. Before they could continue their conversation however, their teacher began the class and they had to pay attention. When the bell rang to signal the end of class, Carol followed Michonne into the hall desperately hoping that she wouldn’t bring up Daryl again. 

“Well now, would you look who it is,” Michonne said, flashing a smirk in Carol’s direction. Carol never thought she would ever feel her heart sink at the sight of Daryl waiting for her.

“Shut up,” Carol muttered, feeling her cheeks heat up.

“Hey,” Daryl said, falling into step beside her. Carol smiled tensely at him.

“Hi,” she said.

“Everything alright?” he asked, sounding concerned.

“Apparently everything’s great,” Michonne cut in. “Including your kissing abilities.”

“Jesus Christ, Michonne!” Carol shrieked. Michonne cackled as both Carol and Daryl’s faces flushed bright red. 

“I’m just teasing,” she said with a smile. “You know I’m happy for you both. And I must say, it’s about time. Oh, and by the way, Carol,” she added, leaning in close to whisper something to her. “I told you so.” With a wink Michonne headed off, leaving Carol and Daryl to walk alone. 

“She’s terrible,” Carol whispered. “Absolutely terrible.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Daryl said, taking her hand. “She’s just messin’ with ya. Friends do that, right?”

“Right,” Carol said quietly, glancing up at him.

“Did ya really care if everyone knows about us?” he asked quietly. Carol gazed up into his beautiful blue eyes, and her heart hurt when she saw the injured look there. 

“No,” Carol answered honestly. “It’s just…” she sighed. “I still don’t even know what we are right now. Are we friends? Or are we something else? We haven’t really talked about it yet.” 

Daryl glanced at her and flashed her that little half-smile of his. “C’mere,” he said, tugging her gently down an abandoned hallway to the side. Carol glanced around warily, but there was no one else in sight. 

“Daryl, what are we doing here?” she asked.

Daryl said nothing, but he pulled her into his arms and kissed her tenderly. Carol wrapped her arms around his neck, surprised at how assertive he was being. He was usually the awkward, hesitant one.

“Know why I brought ya here?” he asked, resting his forehead against hers so that he could gaze into her eyes.

Carol shook her head no. “Why?” she asked.

Daryl smiled. “Brought ya here ‘cause I wanna kiss my girlfriend in peace,” he said. Then he glanced down awkwardly, his cheeks flushing pink. “That okay?”

Carol smiled so brightly at him, she thought her heart might burst. “That is absolutely okay with me,” she said happily, leaning into him for another kiss.


	14. Chapter 14

A few days later, Carol sat at their lunch table anxiously, picking at the crust of her uneaten ham and cheese sandwich. She’d walked to school that morning expecting to find Daryl there, but she hadn’t seen him all day. It was lunch time now and he still hadn’t turned up, and Carol was so worried she couldn’t even eat.

“I’m sure he’s fine, Carol,” Michonne was saying, but Carol was hardly listening to her. “Maybe he just wasn’t feeling well this morning. People get sick sometimes. It happens.”

“But why wouldn’t he have called and let me know?” she asked anxiously. “He must have some idea of just how worried I am right now.”

“He’s a guy,” Tara said through a mouthful of food. “Guys are inconsiderate.”

“Hey!” Rick and Glenn both exclaimed at the same time. “I resent that,” Glenn muttered.

“Aww, don’t pout you big baby,” Maggie told him, ruffling his hair.

“No, but this is Daryl,” Carol went on. “If anything was happening, he would at least make sure I knew about it. I’m the only person he’s got to talk to about these things.”

“I’m sure you guys will talk later and everything will be just fine,” Michonne said calmly. 

“Damn right we’re going to talk later,” Carol muttered. “I’m going to his house after school and I’m not leaving until I know that he’s okay.”

Michonne and Tara rolled their eyes at each other. “Don’t be that clingy girlfriend, now,” Tara warned.

“This isn’t me being clingy,” Carol argued. “This is me being worried. Daryl usually tells me everything, and I’m seriously worried something’s happened to him.”

“I’m sure everything will be just fine,” Michonne said reassuringly. Carol just hoped that she was right. 

***** 

Daryl anxiously drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He’d secretly been fixing up his dad’s rusty old pick-up truck in the back garage for the past month or so, knowing that he would be needing it soon. Now it was up and running smoothly, and Daryl was feeling pretty proud of himself. 

He hadn’t told anyone where he was going that day, not even Carol. He felt bad about lying to her, but he knew that this was something he needed to do on his own. With a sigh, he glanced at the old clock on the dashboard. It was almost noon. Just a few more minutes. 

He knew Carol must be worried sick. He’d thought about calling her that morning, had even held the phone in his hand and tried to dial her number. He’d really tried. But he just couldn’t do it. He didn’t want to talk about where he was going that day, not even with her. Hell, especially not with her. This was a part of his old life, his life before Carol. He’d thought once that maybe he could escape from that old life of his and never look back, but sitting in his truck outside the dark, looming prison, Daryl knew in his heart that you could never truly run from your family. Merle was blood, and now that he was getting out of the pen, Daryl knew that certain aspects of his old life were sure to come back to haunt him. He just hoped Carol would understand. 

Daryl was yanked abruptly from his thoughts as the door banged open and his older brother Merle Dixon stumbled out, blinking in the sunlight. 

“Baby brother!” he thundered, climbing nimbly into the passenger side of the truck. “Got the old truck runnin’ then, eh Darylina? Atta boy,” he nearly yelled, thumping Daryl hard on the back. Daryl had almost forgotten just how loud and obnoxious his brother could be. Almost.

“Hey, Merle,” he mumbled. 

“Boy, look at ya. Eighteen months sure did ya good, eh kid? Is that the beginnin’ of a beard I’m seein’?” 

Daryl fought the urge to roll his eyes. 

“Anywho, what’re ya waitin’ for? The grass to grow? Step on it kid, let’s get the fuck outta this shit-shack.”

Daryl happily obliged, shifting the truck into gear and putting as much distance between them and the prison as possible. As Merle chattered away incessantly, Daryl concentrated on driving, making sure to simply grunt or snort in response every now and then so that Merle would think he was actually listening. As they passed by Carol’s street, Daryl glanced at the clock. She should have just gotten home from school a little while ago, he thought to himself. He knew he’d have some explaining to do, but to be perfectly honest he wasn’t even sure what to tell her first. By the way, my asshole of an older brother just got outta prison and he’s gonna be around all the time now and he’s loud and obnoxious and he kinda smells like a dead animal but hell, I really hope he don’t scare ya away because I need ya, Carol… 

As Daryl pulled up to his house, he felt his brain stop working. His mouth went dry, and his knuckles turned pale white as he clutched at the steering wheel. Sitting on his crumbling front steps, and looking just as beautiful as ever, was Carol. From the looks of it, she’d been crying, and she hastily wiped her cheeks on the sleeves of her sweater as Daryl put the truck in park.

“Hoo hoo hoo, looky yonder baby brother!” Merle whooped loudly. “Who’s that lil’ cutie sittin’ on our front steps? Did ya get me a welcome home present? Ya shouldn’t have…”

“Shut up, Merle,” Daryl growled quietly.

“Ooh? What’s this? That lil’ thang yours, Darylina? Well, I’ll be damned,” Merle said, sounding impressed. “I didn’t think ya had it in ya. She looks like she’d be a good lay, I’ll give ya that…”

“I said, shut up!” Daryl yelled. He pushed the driver’s side door open angrily, jumping out and slamming the door shut behind him. Taking a deep breath, he started towards Carol, not even knowing what the hell he was going to say to her. He watched as she stood up shakily, walking towards him.

“Daryl?” she asked hesitantly, he voice catching in her throat. “Is everything okay?”

Daryl inwardly cursed himself. Her beautiful eyes were still red from crying, and she looked distraught. He knew she’d be worried, but he hadn’t thought she’s worry quite this much. If he’d known this morning just how worried she’d be, he would’ve called her without any hesitation. 

“’M sorry I didn’t call,” he said quickly. “But yeah, everything’s fine.” Carol smiled her dazzling smile then, relief spreading over her face as she laughed. She ran the rest of the way to him, flinging her arms around his neck and holding onto him tightly. He held her close, running his hand slowly up and down her back. “’M so sorry Carol, I didn’t want ya to worry,” he mumbled into her curly hair.

“It’s okay,” she said shakily, pulling back enough to look at him. “It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re okay, I was so worried.” She gazed up at him, and Daryl thought for what had to be the millionth time just how beautiful she was. 

“Hey Darylina, ain’t ya gonna introduce your big brother to your lil’ friend?” Merle’s gruff voice cut through Daryl’s thoughts. He pulled back from Carol slowly, and she disentangled her arms from around his shoulders, staring over at Merle.

“You’re Merle?” she asked, taking a small step away from Daryl.

“The one ‘n only, lil’ lady,” Merle said, walking over to where she and Daryl were standing. “Glad t’ know you’ve heard ‘a me.”

“Hmm, I’ve heard some stories,” Carol said icily.

“Well then, who might you be, lil’ darlin’?” Merle asked.

“I’m Carol,” she said, her face expressionless.

“Carol, eh? Well, ain’t ya a pretty lil’ thang? Listen, ya ever get bored ‘a lil’ Darylina, you hit me up. Let me show ya what a real Dixon man can do in the sack.” Merle winked at her, and Carol rolled her eyes.

“No thank you, Merle,” she said. “I think I’ll stick with Daryl.” Daryl smiled smugly at that. That’s my girl, he thought proudly.

“Hmph. Well, ya change yer mind, ya know where t’ find me,” Merle drawled, turning towards the house. “Home sweet home, eh baby brother? Think I’m gonna go make me a sandwich.” Merle sauntered up the front steps and through the front door leaving Carol and Daryl standing outside alone.

“You’re related to that guy?” Carol asked, crinkling her nose in distaste. Daryl chuckled. 

“Yep. That’s my big brother Merle.”

“Why didn’t you tell me he was getting out of prison today?” she asked, gazing up at him. Daryl stared at her.

“Ya just met him, didn’t ya? He’s… well… I ain’t exactly proud to call him my brother,” Daryl stuttered.

“And what, did you think I just wouldn’t notice your obnoxious older brother had moved back home?” she asked. Daryl sighed, staring down at the ground.

“’M sorry, Carol, I shoulda told ya,” he said. 

“Hey,” Carol said, bringing a hand up to his cheek. “It’s okay. I just want to make sure you know that you can tell me stuff like this. Okay? No matter what happens, you can tell me.” When Daryl said nothing, she pressed on. “Daryl?”

He brought his gaze up to meet hers, soft and blue and unwavering. He couldn’t understand how someone so precious and so utterly perfect could look at him with such adoration, but he silently prayed that she would never stop.

“Alright,” he mumbled. “’M sorry.”

Carol sighed. “Would you stop apologizing and kiss me already?” Daryl smiled shyly at her, wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. Carol closed her eyes and leaned into him, kissing him back in such a way that Daryl could feel just how much she cared for him. He wondered just how he’d managed to get so damned lucky to find a girl like her.

A loud wolf whistle sounded from somewhere behind him. Daryl broke away from Carol to see Merle leaning out of the kitchen window. “Get it, Darylina! Turn on that Dixon charm!” Daryl sighed heavily and turned back to Carol who was giggling quietly.

“What?” he asked gruffly.

“Your brother is quite the character,” she said through her giggles.

“That’s one way to describe him, I guess,” Daryl grumbled. Carol smiled up at him.

“He’s nothing like you, though,” she said playfully.

“Oh, really?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Carol said, leaning forward to place a kiss on his lips. “You clearly got all the Dixon family charm. And the good looks.” She winked at him then, and Daryl felt himself blush. How in the world did I get so damn lucky, he wondered again as he held her close, never wanting to let her go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that requested to have Merle in this story, this chapter was for you! I hope you all enjoyed it, and there'll definitely be more Merle to come :)


	15. Chapter 15

Daryl vowed to himself that he would spend a lot more time at Carol’s house now that Merle was back. He knew that Merle was trying to stay clean and out of trouble, and he had even applied for a few jobs, but he was still loud and obnoxious and had already messed up the house even worse than it already was, which Daryl previously hadn’t thought was even possible.

Less than 24 hours after getting home, Merle had already admired and reclaimed his motorcycle, telling Daryl, “I’ll take this beauty off yer hands. Thanks for keepin’ her warm for me, baby brother.” Daryl missed that bike already.

Okay, it wasn’t really the bike that he missed. It was the way it felt having Carol pressed up against him while he drove, her body perfectly aligned with his. He missed being that close to her even more than he missed the damn bike.

The day after Merle got out of prison, Daryl picked Carol up for school in his truck. She slid over to sit in the middle seat just as he’d hoped she would, and she’d taken his hand while he drove. When he drove her home after school she did the same thing, and she stared up at him as he parked in her driveway. 

“You know, I kind of like the truck,” she told him.

“Yeah, it’s alright,” Daryl said. “Miss that damn bike, though.”

“Yeah, well, we couldn’t do this on the bike,” Carol said, leaning closer to him and pressing a kiss to his lips. She probably hadn’t intended for it to go any further than that, but as they continued kissing and their arms came up around each other, Daryl could feel the heat building inside the truck. When Carol’s tongue swiped across his bottom lip, Daryl instantly opened his mouth to her and gave her complete access. His tongue danced against hers hesitantly at first while his hands moved across her back and arms. Before long, Daryl could feel his head start spinning. When he thought he couldn’t stand it anymore he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers and breathing heavily. Carol’s eyes were closed, and she was breathing just as heavily as he was.

“Well, that was exciting,” she said eventually, still panting slightly.

Daryl nodded sheepishly, not sure that he trusted himself to say anything in that moment without embarrassing himself. He still couldn’t understand how she did it, but Carol made him feel and do things that no one else ever could. One small look from her had him melting in her hands, and Daryl knew he would do absolutely anything she asked him to without a second’s hesitation. Dammit Dixon, he thought to himself, what’s this girl done to ya?

***** 

In the days following their first serious make-out session in Daryl’s truck, Carol found her thoughts persistently drifting back and reliving the entire experience. Just sitting beside him at lunch set her mind drifting back to it, their legs pressed gently against each other as they shared their sandwich. She seriously hoped it wasn’t too obvious because if Tara or Michonne figured out what she was thinking, she knew she’d never hear the end of it. 

On a Friday afternoon a couple of weeks later, Carol and Daryl were leaving school for the day, walking to his truck hand-in-hand. Carol had intertwined her fingers with his, and she was enjoying the sensation of his thumb rubbing gently against hers. As they approached his truck however, she felt his hand tense in hers and she looked up to see Ed Peletier leaning casually against the bed of Daryl’s truck.

“The fuck you doin’ to my truck, Peletier?” Daryl asked gruffly, pulling his hand gently out of Carol’s grasp. He stood protectively in front of her, shielding her from Ed. 

“Show some manners, Dixon,” Ed sneered. “I was just admiring your little rust bucket. Does this thing actually run, or do you have to push it all the way home?”

“Get the fuck outta here,” Daryl growled. 

“Such a temper, Dixon,” Ed snarled. “Maybe I just wanted to say hello to your pretty little girlfriend back there. Check to make sure she’s gotten those fleas properly treated and whatnot.” Daryl snarled angrily and took a few steps closer so that he stood right in front of Ed. Carol watched with bated breath, hoping against hope that this wouldn’t end in another fight. 

“You don’t get to fuckin’ talk ‘bout her,” Daryl snarled in his face. “Now get your ugly ass away from my truck.”

“Fine,” Ed said, putting his hands up as if in surrender, taking a step away from the truck. Daryl continued to glare at him, and Ed smirked in his face. “You really never learn, do you Dixon?” he asked coldly. Then, in one quick motion he grabbed Daryl by the collar of his shirt, ripping the fabric down the back and slamming Daryl’s face into the driver’s side window of the truck. 

“Fuck you,” Ed snarled before he turned and walked away calmly, leaving Daryl dazed and bloody, his torn shirt hanging limply from his broad shoulders. Carol bit back a gasp, watching in horror as Daryl’s hands came up to cup his nose which was bleeding profusely. But worse still was what she saw when his shirt ripped. Crisscrossing all across his back were scars, some longer and larger than others, some more faded and others more prominent. Carol shook her head in an attempt to compose herself, rushing forward to take Daryl’s bloody face in her hands. 

“Oh my God,” she said breathlessly. “Is your nose broken?” 

Daryl touched it gingerly. “Don’ think so,” he mumbled around a mouthful of blood. “I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch.”

“No, Daryl, you’re not,” Carol told him sternly. “Here, give me the keys. I’ll drive.”

Daryl didn’t even bother arguing, and he handed the keys over to her, pinching the bridge of his nose as he climbed into the truck and slid over to the passenger’s seat. Carol climbed in beside him and drove them back to her house.

The entire drive there she tried to shake the image of Daryl’s bare back from her mind. What on earth had happened to him? She knew he hadn’t had the greatest upbringing, but she hadn’t ever heard anything about any physical abuse. Suddenly his initial resistance to physical contact, his hostile demeanor and tendency for fighting all came together for her. He’d shied away from people, never letting them get too close, so no one would ever discover all that pain he was hiding underneath it all. As she parked the truck in her driveway, Carol felt tears sting at her eyes, but she quickly blinked them back. The last thing Daryl needed was for her to turn into a blubbering, sobbing mess. She needed to be strong for him right now.

Inside the house, Carol led Daryl into the bathroom and had him sit down on top of the closed toilet seat. She grabbed a small wash cloth, making sure to grab the softest one she could find, and began to gently clean his bloody face with it. He winced a few times, but said nothing. 

“There,” she said when she was finished. “All done. I think it’s stopped bleeding now, but it’ll be pretty sore and bruised for a while.” Daryl stared down at the tiled floor.

“Thanks,” he mumbled.

“Hey,” Carol said, kneeling down on the floor in front of him and taking his face in her hands. “Talk to me,” she implored him, her blue eyes wide.

Daryl merely sighed and shook his head, his eyes practically glued to the floor. Carol sighed in defeat. 

“Alright,” she said. “I’m going to go and find one of my dad’s old t-shirts for you to wear. Okay?” Daryl nodded once but said nothing. Carol pressed a tender kiss to his forehead before standing up and going to find him a shirt. She found one she thought would work and brought it back to him.

“Thanks,” he said quietly, taking the shirt from her. He pulled off his torn and bloody one, dropping it into the garbage can. He pulled on the clean shirt without saying anything else.

Carol sighed, putting her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. He moved into her embrace easily, wrapping his own arms around her waist. Carol wasn’t sure how long they stood there in each other’s arms, but it felt like it must have been centuries.

“You saw ‘em?” Daryl asked her suddenly, not moving from her arms. Carol nodded into his shoulder.

“Yes,” she whispered tearfully. Daryl was silent for a moment.

“Nobody’s ever seen ‘em before,” Daryl told her, pulling back just enough to look at her. “Not even Merle.”

“Really?” Carol asked, her eyes glistening with tears as she gazed up at him. Daryl nodded silently. She leaned in closer to him, pressing the softest kiss to his lips. “I’m sorry, Daryl,” she whispered, resting her forehead against his.

“Ain’t like any of this shit is your fault,” he said quietly. 

“I know that,” she replied shakily. “It’s just… you’re so important to me, Daryl. And knowing that you’re hurting makes me hurt inside, too.”

Daryl’s eyes flickered to hers, but he didn’t say anything. After a few moments he closed the gap between them and kissed her slowly, softly, his tongue snaking its way out to mingle with hers. It was a delicate kiss filled with a deeper passion, and Carol wanted to tell him what she was feeling in her heart, wanted to let him know just how important he was to her. She kept screaming those three little words in her mind, but she knew this wasn’t the right moment. So instead she kissed him back with everything she had, running her hands delicately through his hair as her tongue moved in perfect time with his. One day soon she would tell him exactly what he meant to her, and as he kissed her now she knew in her heart that he would tell her he felt the same.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, two chapters in about an hour. This one's short though, but I hope you all enjoy :)

Neither Carol nor Daryl brought up Daryl’s scars again, and Daryl was grateful for her silent understanding. He hadn’t even had to tell her that he didn’t want to talk about it; she just seemed to know. Things continued going smoothly for them after that, but as January turned into February, Daryl realized he had a problem. A very serious problem which he needed to address as soon as possible. 

“So, Darylina, how’s the lil’ lady friend?” Merle had asked one day, his feet propped up on the couch.

“Her name is Carol,” Daryl replied through gritted teeth. “And she’s fine.”

“You tapped that yet?” Merle asked with a wink. Daryl threw a shoe across the room at him. “Whoa, now! Calm yer tits, baby brother, it was a simple question!”

“Yeah, well, mind your own fuckin’ business,” Daryl snarled. 

“Ooh hoo hoo,” Merle whooped. “Ya really fuckin’ care ‘bout this chick, don’t ya? Do ya loooooove her, Darylina? Huh? You gonna do somethin’ sweet for her for fuckin’ Valentine’s Day?” Daryl was just preparing to throw his other shoe across the room at him when he froze.

“What?” he asked in horror.

“Y’know, Valentine’s Day? The day when young lil’ lovebirds do cute thangs for each other ‘n profess their undyin’ love or some shit like that,” Merle said indifferently, picking absentmindedly at his thumbnail.

“Fuck,” Daryl hissed. “Shit. Shit. Ya think Carol expects me to do somethin’ nice for her?” he asked his brother.

“Psh, hell if I know,” Merle scoffed. “None ‘a my lady friends have ever stuck around long enough to ask for shit like that.”

“Fuck,” Daryl hissed again. “I gotta do somethin’ nice for her,” he said, beginning to panic. “What the fuck am I supposed to do?”

“The fuck you askin’ me for?” Merle asked grumpily. “I don’t do romance. Go find someone else t’ bother ‘bout this shit.”

*****

The following day at school, Daryl pulled Michonne aside in the hallway.

“Hey, I gotta question for ya,” he whispered urgently.

“Okay, what’s up?” Michonne asked.

“The fuck should I do for Carol for Valentine’s Day?” Michonne squealed excitedly, clapping her hands over her mouth. “No seriously, the fuck do I do? What d’you think she’s expectin’?”

“Well, Daryl,” Michonne replied as soon as she’d calmed down and stopped squealing. “As it so happens, I just had this exact conversation with Carol the other day, so I know exactly what she’s expecting.”

“Ya do?” Daryl asked excitedly. “What?”

“Nothing,” Michonne said with a sigh. “She’s literally expecting nothing. When I asked her about it she said that you’d probably treat it like any other day and that was totally fine with her.”

“Seriously?” Daryl asked.

“Yeah,” Michonne replied. “Seriously. But I’m telling you right now, Daryl Dixon, you had better do something amazing and adorable for her or I will never let you hear the end of it.” Daryl felt his heart fill with dread.

“But I don’t know what the fuck to do!” he said anxiously. “I ain’t exactly good at this romance shit.”

Michonne sighed heavily, clearly exasperated. “Bring her flowers, take her out to dinner, buy her a freaking necklace, just do something to show her you care about her,” she said quickly. Daryl thought about it anxiously. 

“But how do I know she’ll like whatever I end up doin’ for her?” he asked. 

“I guess you’ll find out,” she said with a grin. “Don’t worry, though. I’m sure you’ll come up with something good, and she’ll love it.” Michonne turned and with one final wave in Daryl’s direction, she headed off to class.

Daryl’s head was reeling. The fuck was he supposed to do now? None of that was even remotely helpful. Flowers? Dinner? Necklaces? This was all completely unfamiliar territory for him, and he had no idea what the hell he was doing. With an angry sigh he headed off to class, still trying to figure out what to do to give Carol the perfect Valentine’s Day that she deserved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to janeausten14 for the inspiration for this chapter :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I really hope you all enjoy this chapter. I know I had fun writing it. It's Valentine's Day with little Carol and Daryl, and what oh what does Daryl have planned? :)

The morning of Valentine's Day dawned bright and sunny, and Daryl rung his hands nervously as he parked in Carol's driveway later that afternoon. It was a Saturday, and he'd tried to plan a fun evening for the two of them. He just hoped she liked what he'd planned, and that everything actually went the way it was supposed to. With a heavy sigh he reached onto the seat beside him, grabbing the flowers he'd picked for Carol that morning, and headed up the walkway to her house. When she opened the door he nearly fell over at the sight of her. She wore a pretty blue dress, similar to the one she'd worn on Christmas, and Daryl noticed that this one also brought out her gorgeous eyes. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, beautiful," he said with a small smile, seriously hoping he wasn't blushing too badly. He'd pulled on the nicest pair of pants he owned and a remarkably clean shirt that morning, and on his way out of the house Merle had commented, making sure to tell him just how ridiculous he looked. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, Daryl," she said with a smile, giving him a kiss. She took the flowers from his trembling hands and gazed at them. "Daryl, these are beautiful," she said, running her finger delicately along the white petals. 

"They're cherokee roses," he mumbled. "Got a bunch of 'em growin' by my house." 

"They're beautiful," she repeated. "Thank you, Daryl. Here, come on inside so I can put them in some water." He followed her inside, standing by the door while he waited for her. When she reappeared, he wrapped his arms around her. 

"Ya ready to go?" He asked, kissing the top of her hair. She nodded against him. 

"Where are we going?" She asked, taking his hand as they headed out to his truck. 

"Can't tell ya that, it's a surprise," he said as he held the passenger side door open for her. He climbed into the driver's seat and drove them off in the direction of the park by his house. He parked the truck and held the door open for her to climb out after him. Reaching into the bed of the truck, he grabbed an old cooler and a blanket he’d washed specially, and led her to a grassy area beneath the shade of a large, overhanging tree. He spread the blanket on the ground for them, trying to keep his hands from shaking too much. He sat down on the blanket, and she sat beside him.

“This is nice,” she said, glancing up into the leaves of the tree. “Kind of reminds me of the tree where we used to eat lunch together.”

“That’s kinda why I picked it,” he said bashfully, glancing down at his hands. Dammit, he thought, why won’t they stop shaking?

“Wow, you really thought this through,” Carol mused, looking over at him. “You’re amazing, you know that?” Daryl blushed.

“No, I ain’t,” he mumbled awkwardly.

“Yes, Daryl, you are,” Carol said, leaning over to kiss him. “Completely amazing. I don’t know how I got so lucky.” Daryl dared to look up at her, and could see in her eyes that she truly meant every word. He cleared his throat awkwardly, looking down at the cooler.

“So, it probably ain’t gonna be as good as your sandwiches, but I tried makin’ us ham ‘n cheese,” he mumbled, awkwardly pulling out two sandwiches. Carol took one of them, unwrapping it delicately and handing one half to him before picking up the other half for herself. She took a bite, and Daryl waited for her to tell him it was the worst sandwich she’d ever eaten. 

“Daryl, I don’t know what you’re talking about, these are even better than the sandwiches I bring to school,” she told him.

“Stop,” he said uncomfortably.

“I’m serious,” she said. “Try it.” Daryl took a hesitant bite of his sandwich and was surprised to find that it actually wasn’t as bad as he’d anticipated. 

“Look what else I got,” he said, pulling out a massive bag of pretzels and a bottle of sweet iced tea. “The tea ain’t homemade like yours, but I reckon it can’t be that bad.”

“Daryl,” Carol said, glancing at the food items, the same ones they shared for lunch together every day at school. “This is perfect.” Daryl smiled at her, feeling the blush creep back up into his cheeks.

“I was hopin’ ya’d like it,” he said quietly. 

“How could I not like it?” she asked with one of her most dazzling smiles. She reached over and took his hand, threading her thin fingers through his. “You’re seriously the best boyfriend ever, Daryl. Thank you.” She leaned over and kissed him again, and Daryl struggled to remember how to breathe. They’d been together officially for almost two months now, and yet she still managed to take his breath away. They sat together for hours, finishing off the sandwiches and picking at the pretzels, simply sitting and talking about anything and everything. Daryl still couldn’t get over how beautiful she looked and as the sun began to set and the stars came out, he noticed how it made her eyes seem to shine even brighter. 

As the sun set even further and the stars became more prominent, Carol laid back on the blanket, staring up at the sky. “Look how pretty the stars are,” she said quietly. Daryl laid down beside her, but rather than looking up at the sky, he turned to stare at her. “I’m serious, Daryl,” she said with a laugh, noticing him staring. “Look up at the stars.”

“I’m lookin’ at a star right now,” he said quietly. “Most beautiful one of all.” 

It was Carol’s turn to blush this time, and Daryl reached a shaky hand over to brush his fingers across her bright red cheek.

“Got ya somethin’ else,” he whispered, still stroking her cheek.

“You did?” Carol asked, smiling at him. He nodded sheepishly. “I got you something, too,” she told him.

“Really?” he asked.

She nodded. “I had to have Rick help me with part of it. I sort of made you something,” she said quietly. Daryl sat up on the blanket, and Carol followed suit. 

“Alright,” he said. “Well, who wants to go first?” 

“I will,” Carol said, reaching into the pocket of the sweater she’d brought with her. She pulled out a small, neatly wrapped box and handed it to him. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” she said as he took the gift. He tore off the wrapping paper as slowly and deliberately as he had on Christmas, and opened the box gently. Inside, he found a keychain, made from a thin woven rope with a familiar green stone tied to the end. Jasper.  
“It matches the bracelet you gave me,” she whispered, her fingers gently running across the little green stone still tied to her wrist. Daryl looked up at her. “This way, we both have our own Jasper stone so when we look at it, we’ll think of each other.”

Daryl looked into her eyes, and when he did he thought his heart might explode in his chest from all the love he felt for her. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her breathless and tell her over and over again just how desperately in love with her he was. But he held it back, knowing that he wanted to tell her exactly the way he’d practiced it. 

“This is amazing,” he told her instead. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she said with a small smile. “Rick had to help me get the stone to stay put, because it kept falling off.” Daryl smiled at the thought, imagining the adorable huff of frustration she probably let out as the stone fell off the keychain again. 

“I love it,” he told her, leaning over to kiss her. He pulled out the keys to his truck, attaching the keychain to them. “Now it’s your turn,” he told her, putting the keys back in his pocket. Reaching into his other pocket, his hand closed around the tiny box that held her present. “Close your eyes,” he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. She obliged, folding her hands in her lap as her eyelids flickered closed.

Daryl pulled the little blue box from his pocket and opened it slowly. He’d had to scrounge up some serious cash for it, but she was worth every penny it had cost him and more. He held the box open before her. “Open your eyes, Carol,” he said quietly.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. They fixed themselves on the open box as he held it before her, and her hand covered her mouth as she gasped.

“Oh my God, Daryl,” she whispered. “It’s beautiful.”

“Know why I picked it?” he asked, glancing down at the sparkling silver necklace. Carol shook her head no. 

“It’s a heart,” he said quietly. “My heart.”

Carol’s eyes filled with tears as they came up to meet his, blue eyes boring directly into blue. “Daryl…” she said softly.

“I love ya, Carol,” he said calmly, willing his voice not to shake. “So I’m givin’ ya my heart. This way, ya can wear it every day and know that you’re gonna have my actual heart, right here,” he said, pointing to his chest. “Forever.”

The tears spilled from her eyes, and she leaned forward, pressing her lips firmly against his. He kissed her back fervently, his free hand running through her soft curls. “I love ya,” he repeated against her lips.

“Daryl,” she whispered, pulling back just enough to stare directly into his eyes. “I love you, too.” 

Daryl’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at her. “Ya do?” he asked, his voice finally shaking. 

“I do, Daryl,” she whispered, her fingers brushing against his cheek. “I love you. And I promise, I’m going to wear this heart every day, and I’m going to see it and remember just how much I love you, and I’ll know that you love me, too.” 

Daryl couldn’t think of anything to say that could convey his emotions in that moment. She seemed to realize as much because she spared him from saying anything by leaning in closer and kissing him again softly, passionately, her lips perfectly molding themselves against his. When she pulled back, she smiled shyly at him. 

“Help me put it on,” she told him. He removed the heart necklace from the box and Carol turned around, holding her hair out of the way so that he could fasten it around her neck. His hands shook like crazy, but somehow he managed to get the clasp to close, and Carol let her hair fall back into place. She took the little silver heart in her fingers, gazing down at it with a look of pure adoration that made Daryl actually want to cry. He knew in his heart that that look was all for him, and he wanted nothing more than for her to look at him like that every day for the rest of his life. 

“I love you, Daryl,” she said, her blue gaze drifting away from the necklace and back to him. He smiled at her, pulling her gently into his arms.

“I love ya too, Carol,” he said, kissing her softly. 

The two of them sat there until the sky was completely dark and the crickets were chirping, laying in each other’s arms and gazing up at the stars. Carol pointed out the brightest star in the sky as well as several different constellations she’d studied in school, but Daryl was more focused on her. It didn’t matter to him how many different stars there were in the night sky. The only star that mattered to him was the one right here, laying in his arms, and he silently vowed to spend the rest of his life showing Carol just how deep his love burned for her.


	18. Chapter 18

The Monday following Valentine’s Day, Michonne and Tara stood waiting at Carol’s locker for her as she approached it. They were both practically bouncing up and down in excitement.

“So,” Michonne nearly exploded. “What did you two do for Valentine’s Day?” Carol tried not to roll her eyes.

“He set up a little picnic for us at the park by his house,” she told her. “It was sweet. He even brought me flowers.”

“Oh my God, that’s amazing!” Michonne squealed. 

“And he gave me this,” Carol said, touching the silver heart hanging around her neck. It was by far the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her, and despite her personal tendency to be more reserved, she couldn’t wait to show her friends just how amazing her boyfriend was.

“Oh my God, it’s a fucking heart,” Tara said excitedly.

“He said it was his heart,” Carol said. “And he was giving it to me.”

At that comment, Tara and Michonne squealed so loud that several passing students stopped to stare.

“Did he tell you he loves you yet?” Michonne asked anxiously. Carol nodded silently, and her friends squealed again. “And you said it back, right?”

“Of course I did,” she responded. 

“Oh my God, this is so romantic, I might vomit,” Tara said excitedly.

“I love how you talk about vomiting with a smile on your face,” Carol teased. 

“Yeah, well, you two have reached like, corny romance novel levels of adorable,” Tara gushed. “Now all you guys need is a steamy, romantic sex scene and we’ll have a complete Carol and Daryl romance novel.”

“Oh my God,” Carol said, her stomach twisting into knots. “Don’t even suggest it.”

“Oh come on, you seriously expect us to believe you wouldn’t have sex with Daryl?” Michonne asked.

“I haven’t even thought about it,” she replied honestly. “I was a little too focused on falling in love with him as a person.”

“Aww,” Michonne and Tara squealed. This time Carol didn’t even try to hide it as she rolled her eyes at them. As she turned to head towards her class, she saw Daryl coming towards them. “Speak of the devil,” Michonne said with a smirk. 

“Hey, beautiful,” Daryl said, wrapping Carol in a hug and kissing her gently.

“Hey yourself,” she replied, hugging him back and trying to ignore the squeals coming from Tara and Michonne behind her. 

“What’s got you two so damn excited?” Daryl asked gruffly.

“Oh, nothing,” Tara said mischievously. “We were just talking about your sex life.”

“My what?” he asked, eyes wide as Carol sighed heavily. 

“Nothing, let’s just go, Daryl,” Carol said, trying to pull him in the direction of her class.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Michonne cut in. “Let’s stop talking about sex for just a moment, here. Carol, he calls you beautiful all the time, but you just stick to calling him Daryl?”

Carol shrugged her shoulders. “I guess so. Why?”

“Don’t you think your amazing little boyfriend deserves a pet name, too?” Michonne asked eagerly.

“No!” Daryl replied quickly. “No, he don’t want one.” 

Carol smiled up at him. “I never really thought about it,” she said truthfully. “But I suppose I could put some thought into it.” Daryl glared over at Michonne. 

“I’m gonna kill ya,” he warned. Michonne laughed.

“Come on, let’s go to class, Pumpkin,” Carol said with a smile, tugging on his arm. 

“Stop,” he said flatly.

“Sunshine?”

“I’m gonna kill ya all,” Daryl mumbled gruffly while Carol, Tara, and Michonne all giggled. 

***** 

After school that day, Daryl drove Carol home as usual. She was sitting in the middle seat of his truck again, and she had her fingers intertwined with his. 

“Sweetheart?” she asked.

“Fuck, no,” he said. Carol giggled. 

“Snookums?”

“Jesus Christ,” Daryl said quickly. “I don’t ever wanna hear ya say that again.” 

“I’m just going to have to keep thinking about this,” Carol said with a sigh.

“Or ya could just stick t’ Daryl,” he said flatly. 

“Aww but Honey, where’s the fun in that?”

Daryl sighed heavily. “You’re lucky I love ya,” he said as he parked his truck in her driveway.

“Aww, I love you too, Pookie,” she said with a smile.

“The hell is a Pookie?” he asked.

“Hmm, you’re my Pookie,” she said smiling up at him. 

“Oh, God,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“I kind of like that one,” she said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. “I’m going to call you Pookie from now on.”

“Fuck. Just don’t fuckin’ say it when Merle’s around,” he begged.

Carol giggled at the thought of it. “The fuck’s a Pookie, baby brother?” she growled in her best Merle impersonation. “Is it somethin’ I can either smoke or fuck?”

Despite himself, Daryl chuckled. Then he turned serious again, her mention of fucking causing him to remember the conversation from earlier. “Were Tara ‘n Michonne really askin’ if we’ve done it yet?”

Carol sighed, shifting awkwardly. “They might have mentioned it, yeah,” she said quietly. 

“Did ya want to?” Daryl asked, looking down at her shyly. 

“Not yet,” she said. She smiled when he visibly seemed to relax. “I don’t want to move too fast.”

“Good,” Daryl mumbled. “’Cause I got no fuckin’ clue what I’m doin’.” Carol giggled.

“Me neither,” she admitted. “It’ll be the first time for both of us, I guess.” Daryl nodded silently. 

“Okay, let’s change the subject,” she said quickly, trying to diffuse the awkwardness of the conversation. “Want some sweet tea? I just made some yesterday.”

“Sure,” Daryl said, moving to follow her into the house. Taking her hand, he whispered, “I love ya.”

Carol smiled up at him. “Love you too, Pookie.” She giggled again as Daryl groaned loudly.


	19. Chapter 19

As spring rolled around, Carol began that inevitable “college search” that all high school juniors faced. She knew that she’d love to study English literature in college, but there were so many options and so many different schools all across the country that she couldn’t possibly decide which ones she wanted to apply to in the fall. 

One day, Carol and Daryl were seated beside each other in the library, and Carol had several different tabs open on her computer for several different schools. 

“Ohh, but look at how many different sub-departments Fairfield University’s English department has,” Carol was saying in an excited whisper.

“Where’s this school?” Daryl asked, leaning over her shoulder to look at her computer screen. 

“Connecticut,” Carol said, her eyes scanning through the English literature requirements.

“Connecticut?” Daryl yelped, earning himself a dark glare from the librarian. “That’s fuckin’ far,” he said quietly. 

“I know, it’ll be like an adventure!” Carol said with a smile. Daryl sighed sadly, looking at how happy she was. It was like she was glowing, and he really didn’t want to rain on her happy parade.

Carol glanced over at him, noticing the sad puppy-dog look in his eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asked, reaching over to cup his cheek in her hand. Daryl shrugged, his eyes looking anywhere but at hers. “Hey,” she said, leaning a little closer to him. “Talk to me, Daryl.”

Daryl shrugged again. “You wanna go off to fuckin’ Connecticut ‘n I’m just gonna be stuck here without ya,” he mumbled quietly. 

“Oh, Daryl,” she said quietly, turning her chair so that she could face him directly. “You know I won’t actually go to Connecticut, right?” she asked, staring at him desperately. “Right?” Daryl nodded silently, but he didn’t look convinced. “Daryl, listen to me,” she said. “I promise, I’m not actually going that far. I don’t even want to go that far.” Daryl glanced up hopefully at that, and Carol took that as a good sign. “You really think I’d want to be that far away from you?” she asked gently. 

Daryl sighed and shrugged. “Don’t see why not,” he mumbled. “Ya could do so much better.” This was something that had been gnawing persistently at the back of his mind for months now, but he hadn’t really focused on it until the topic of college and the future was suddenly such an important issue. The truth was, he had no college plans and no real career plans for that matter. He was just some lowlife redneck, living with his asshole of an older brother and whose daddy had run off with some sleazy waitress and hadn’t been heard from since. In his heart he knew that Carol deserved so much more than whatever he could give her, and lately it seemed as though that was the only thing he could think about anymore. 

“You stop that,” Carol said sternly, looking into his eyes. “Daryl, you’re the most important person I have in my life, and I don’t want to lose you.” He glanced away from her again, but she turned his face back to look at hers. “I mean it Daryl, there’s no way there’s anything better for me out there. The only person I need in my life is you.” She leaned forward to kiss him tenderly, and he kissed her back with everything he had. “I love you,” she whispered.

“Love ya, too,” he mumbled back. 

“Why don’t we look at Georgia State?” she asked quietly. “I could commute there from home, and it would save me so much money.”

“Alright,” Daryl said quietly, turning back to the computer screen with her. He knew he was being selfish, but he couldn’t help it. The very thought of losing Carol made his heart ache in a way he had never known before, and he knew that there was no way he’d handle it well if he had to be apart from her. There was just no way. 

***** 

“Everyone started lookin’ at colleges ‘n shit yet?” Daryl asked Rick one day as they sat beside each other in their American History class. He and Rick had grown closer ever since Carol had finally introduced Daryl to the rest of her friends, and now that Daryl needed advice from someone that wasn’t Carol, Rick was the first person that came to mind. 

“Pretty much,” Rick said, flipping absentmindedly through his notes. “What about you? Have you thought about it yet?”

“Pfft,” Daryl snorted. “I ain’t exactly college material.”

“Hmm, I suppose not,” Rick mused. “Have you looked at the trade school? It’s not too far from here, you could be a mechanic or something.”

“Haven’t really thought ‘bout it,” Daryl mumbled. 

“You should look into it,” Rick told him. 

“Maybe. Thanks,” Daryl said. Then he cleared his throat nervously. “Carol say anythin’ to ya ‘bout where she wants t’ go?” he asked, terrified of the answer. 

Rick shrugged. “She hasn’t said anything to me, but she and Michonne were talking about schools the other day. I know Carol was all worried about money and student loans and stuff, so I think she might want to try to stay local to save some money. Why? Haven’t you guys talked about it?”

“We did,” Daryl said. “But she’s been lookin’ everywhere, ‘n I was thinkin’…. What if she goes t’ like…. Connecticut or somethin’?” 

Rick snorted loudly. “Carol? Really? She isn’t exactly that adventurous, Daryl,” he said. “I don’t think she’ll go quite that far. Don’t worry about it: you won’t be losing her anytime soon.”

Daryl stared at him. He hadn’t said anything out loud, but Rick seemed to know exactly what he’d been thinking. He knew nothing Rick told him would be a guarantee, but it did make him feel a bit better to hear him say it.

“Thanks,” Daryl muttered.

“No problem,” Rick told him. “Okay now, serious question. Do you think Michonne might like me?” Daryl stared at him.

“How the hell should I know?” he asked gruffly.

“I don’t know, has she said anything to Carol about liking me or anything? Because I’ve been thinking. Prom is already like a month away, and Maggie will go with Glenn, Tara’s been trying to talk to that new girl Rosita, you’re obviously going with Carol, and then that just leaves me and Michonne.”

Daryl let Rick’s words sink in for a moment before responding. “Prom?” he asked hoarsely. 

“Yeah, junior prom is at the end of May,” Rick said nonchalantly. Daryl was amazed at how calm Rick seemed, because he was about ready to jump out of his own skin. 

“D’ya think Carol really wants t’ go?” he asked.

“Of course she does,” Rick replied. “Prom is like a rite of passage for teenage girls. Most of them want to go, and I heard Maggie and Carol whispering about it just the other day.” 

Daryl’s heart sank. Prom? He wasn’t cut out for that kind of shit. 

“Do I have t’ ask her t’ go with me?” he asked nervously.

“Yeah, but you’ve got it easy because you guys are dating. You know she’ll say yes. Just do something cute, bring her flowers or something and ask her to go. But if I want to ask Michonne, I have to come up with something good,” Rick said, scratching his chin. “Do you think I should ask her?”

“You’re askin’ me?” Daryl asked incredulously. 

“Yeah, I am,” Rick said simply. 

Daryl thought about it for a moment. “Don’ see why not,” he mumbled awkwardly. “Ya could always just go as friends or somethin’.”

“That’s a good point,” Rick mumbled. “Okay, I’m going to ask her. Thanks, Daryl.”

“Yeah, sure,” Daryl said, completely bemused. Rick had just asked him for serious advice. He wasn’t even remotely used to the idea of people thinking that highly of him that his opinion might actually carry that much weight with them. With a sigh, Daryl tried to shake the thought from his head. He had friends now, he had the most amazing girlfriend he could have ever asked for, and he was going to look into that trade school Rick had mentioned. He knew he wanted more out of his life than dropping out of high school and getting his dumb ass arrested just like Merle had done. And he knew that Carol deserved so much better than that and dammit, he was going to do everything in his power to be the man that she truly deserved.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this chapter... Prom is coming up for little Carol and Daryl! :)

That coming Friday, Rick and Daryl had a plan. Well, mostly Rick had a plan and Daryl was just there to serve as positive reinforcement. Just the day before, Tara had gleefully announced during lunch that she and her new friend Rosita would be attending Junior Prom together, and Rick had told Daryl afterwards that it was about time to ask Michonne. 

Daryl had gotten Carol in on the plan as well, and the three of them were ready to lure in Michonne. 

“Think she’ll say yes?” Rick asked, twisting his hands together nervously. 

“Yes,” Carol said definitively, her thumb rubbing circles against the back of Daryl’s hand. 

“What makes you so sure though?” Rick asked uneasily.

“I’m her friend,” Carol said. “I know these things. Now, you two go head outside, I’ll bring Michonne to you.”

Rick sighed heavily and turned towards the back parking lot. Daryl leaned in for a kiss goodbye before moving to follow him. “See ya out there,” he whispered. She responded with a smile and then headed to her locker where she was supposed to meet up with Michonne. 

“What’s up?” Michonne asked, leaning up against Carol’s locker casually.

“It’s Daryl,” Carol said with a sigh. “He’s been acting super weird around me lately and I can’t figure out why.”

“He seemed fine today at lunch,” Michonne mused. Crap, Carol thought to herself. I need to learn to lie better. 

“It’s just when we’re alone,” she explained, hoping the lie sounded convincing. “He’s just been really awkward lately and it’s worrying me.”

“Daryl’s always been awkward, though,” Michonne said thoughtfully.

Carol smiled at that. “I know,” she said. “But he’s being even more awkward than usual and I can’t figure out why.”

“Did you say something to upset him?” Michonne asked, falling into step beside her as they headed towards the back parking lot. 

“I don’t think so,” Carol replied. “It’s just so bizarre, like all of a sudden this just came out of nowhere. He hasn’t said anything to you about it?”

“No, he hasn’t,” Michonne said, pushing the door open and leading the way outside. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much though, Daryl’s completely in love with you. Whatever he’s got going on right now will probably blow over soon.”

“I hope you’re right,” Carol muttered. Shit, I’m running out of ideas here, she thought wildly. “Do you think maybe it has something to do with his brother?” she asked, trying to keep the conversation rolling until they reached Michonne’s car. 

“Maybe,” Michonne said. “I’ve heard Merle can be a bit obnoxious, so maybe Daryl’s just finally going crazy from being stuck living with him?”

“I really hope that isn’t it though,” Carol said. “That would be so sad.”

Michonne shrugged. “Maybe…. Oh my God.”

They had just reached Michonne’s car and Carol stifled a giggle at her reaction. Rick had draped a huge homemade banner reading “PROM?” across the side of the car, he’d thrown rose petals everywhere, and he stood there gawkily holding a massive bouquet of pink and red roses. 

“Hey, Michonne,” Rick said awkwardly. Michonne’s mouth hung open at the sight before her. “So, I was just wondering…”

“Yes,” Michonne said excitedly.

“You didn’t even let him ask,” Carol said with a laugh. 

“So?” she asked, walking over to Rick. “I’d love to go to prom with you,” she said with a smile. Rick let out an audible sigh of relief. 

“These are for you,” he said, handing the roses over to Michonne.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, taking the flowers from him. The two of them stood there awkwardly for a moment before, surprisingly enough, Daryl broke the silence.

“Christ, man, just fuckin’ kiss her already,” he grumbled from beside the car. Carol giggled and Rick blushed a deep crimson color. 

“Oh my God, Daryl,” Michonne said nervously. Then a sudden realization dawned on her. “Wait. He hasn’t been awkward at all lately, has he?” she asked loudly, rounding on Carol.

“Nope,” Carol said with a giggle. “At least, no more than usual.”

“Hey!” Daryl said loudly and Carol smirked at him. She skipped over to him, placing a kiss on his cheek. “Sorry, Pookie,” she said with a little smile.

Daryl tried not to roll his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her. 

***** 

The following day Daryl was ready to pick Carol up at her house around noon. He’d stopped to pick a fresh batch of Cherokee roses for her before leaving his house, and Merle had leaned out of the kitchen window to watch.

“The fuck ya doin’ Darylina?” he hollered.

“Nothin’, go back t’ watchin’ TV,” Daryl practically snarled.

“Whoa now, what crawled up yer ass, baby brother? Yer lil’ lady friend piss ya off?”

“No,” Daryl mumbled, refusing to look up from picking the nicest flowers he could find. 

“Did ya piss her off?”

“No!”

“So what’re ya bringin’ her fuckin’ flowers for?” Merle asked. 

Daryl sighed heavily. “I’m goin’ to ask my damn girlfriend to go to prom with me,” he said heatedly. “Ya got a fuckin’ problem with that, Merle?” 

“Prom?” Merle asked, laughing his obnoxious, booming laugh. “Hoo hoo, baby brother, ya really got it bad for this Carol chick, don’t ya?” 

“Shut up,” Daryl muttered, standing up. He had more than enough Cherokee roses to bring to Carol. 

“Can’t believe ya still ain’t tapped that yet,” Merle said, shaking his head. “It’s a damn shame. I’d give her the time of her young life, if ya know what I’m sayin’, but I figure I’ll let ya hold onto that one since ya seem to like her so damned much.”

“Dammit Merle, don’t ya ever know when t’ shut the fuck up?” Daryl growled. 

“Alright, alright,” Merle said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “Go on along ‘n see yer lil’ mouse of a girlfriend. But for the love ‘a Christ, get a fuckin’ move on ‘n show her real good time.”

“’Bye Merle,” Daryl called, climbing into his truck.

“I don’t even wanna see your ugly ass ‘til she’s fucked ya senseless!” Merle hollered out the window as Daryl drove off. 

“Jesus Christ,” Daryl muttered to himself as he drove the familiar drive to Carol’s house. As he parked in her driveway he took a deep breath, trying not to let himself panic. Carol was his girlfriend. He loved her and she loved him. Of course she would go to prom with him, so there was absolutely no reason for him to be nervous. And yet, there were those persistent little knots in his stomach, tying and untying themselves as he desperately tried to calm down. With a sigh he figured he may as well get this shit over with and climbed out of the truck, taking the flowers with him. When Carol opened the front door for him, he held up the flowers with a smile.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said. 

“Daryl!” she exclaimed, taking the flowers from him. “You’re the sweetest. Come inside, I’m going to put these in some water and then we can go.” He stood patiently just inside the door waiting for her. He was still nervous as all hell, but somehow just seeing her smile at him had helped calm his nerves a little bit. For as long as he’d known her, she still managed to affect him in a way that no one else ever could, and he still struggled to explain exactly how she did it. When she reappeared, she wrapped her arms lovingly around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss.

“Thank you for the flowers,” she said, smiling against his lips.

Daryl kissed her in response, not sure of what else to say. “Ready to go?” he asked.

“Yep,” Carol said, pulling the door closed behind them. “Where are we going?”

“Shouldn’t really be a surprise,” he mumbled, holding the passenger side door open for her to climb into the truck. Ten minutes later, they were seated side by side on the same picnic blanket by the same tree they’d sat under on Valentine’s Day. 

“Is this going to be our spot now?” Carol asked, gazing over at him.

“What do ya mean?”

“Well, it’s the place where we first said we love each other, and now we’re on another date here,” she said thoughtfully. “That kind of makes this our spot, doesn’t it?”

“So is this our tree?” Daryl asked.

“I think it is,” Carol agreed. 

“Know what we should do, then?” he asked with a small smile. 

“What?” 

“Watch,” he said, pulling out his key ring. His fingers skimmed over the jasper stone hanging from it, and he saw Carol’s fingers flicker to the stone around her own wrist. He flipped open the pocket knife he kept hanging on his keys, and set to work on the trunk of the tree, carving slowly. He carved the letters first, then the heart around them. It took a few minutes, but eventually Daryl had a perfect C + D carved inside a heart on the tree trunk. He glanced over at Carol and saw her misty-eyed smile.

“It’s perfect,” she whispered, running her fingers over the D for Daryl. Her blue eyes rested on his. “I love you, Daryl,” she said, leaning into him for a kiss. He angled his lips just so, deepening the kiss and pulling her flush against him. He held her close, his fingers running through her curls and his tongue coming up to meet with hers. As they kissed, he shifted slightly, laying her down gently on the blanket and hovering over her, propping himself up on his elbows so he wouldn’t crush her as he continued to kiss her. Carol moaned softly into his mouth, and Daryl felt a stirring deep in his belly at the sound. God, he wanted her, he thought as her fingers tangled themselves in his hair. As his tongue explored her mouth, he let his left hand explore her, slowly trailing its way up her arm, to her shoulder, and hesitantly down to cup her breast. Carol moaned again as she arched her back slightly, and he felt her fingers tug gently at his hair.

“This okay?” he mumbled against her lips, squeezing gently with his fingers.

“Oh God, that is very okay,” Carol sighed, her eyes squeezed tightly closed. Daryl smiled as he continued to kiss her, plunging his tongue back inside her mouth while his hand toyed with her breast, gently kneading it with his fingers. Carol sighed again, her hands moving to ghost themselves across his back. Daryl let his hand drift further downward, running over her stomach and coming to rest on her hip. Carol brought her leg up as he did so, wrapping it around his waist and pulling him even closer to her.

“Fuck,” Daryl hissed as his hips shifted directly against hers, and he felt a stirring in his pants. 

“Maybe we should stop,” Carol panted, gazing up at him. “This isn’t exactly something we should be doing in a public park.”

Daryl groaned angrily, pressing his lips firmly against hers. “I fuckin’ love ya,” he growled against her mouth. 

“I love you too,” she whispered. He kissed her again, his hand drifting even lower until it came to rest over her ass. Carol moaned louder this time, arching up against him. “Shit,” she hissed, and he smiled against her lips. “Okay, we should really stop now,” she told him, pulling away from his kisses. “I don’t think any of the kids playing on the playground over there want to witness what’ll happen if we don’t.”

Daryl chuckled at that. “Could be pretty educational for ‘em,” he said with a smirk.

“Oh, God,” Carol said. Daryl couldn’t help admiring the flush that had crept up into her cheeks, or the way her lips were puffy and swollen from his kisses. 

“Y’know, this ain’t exactly what I brought ya here for,” he told her.

“Oh really?” she asked, shifting slightly beneath him. “Then what did you bring me here for, Mr. Dixon?”

Daryl smiled at that. “Brought ya here t’ ask if ya’d like to go to prom with me.”

Carol smiled up at him. “Why Pookie, I would love to go to prom with you.”

Daryl couldn’t even bring himself to roll his eyes at the pet name. His smile widened as he leaned in to kiss her, this time keeping it light and chaste. “I love ya, Carol,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” she said, kissing him again. “Okay, now, get off of me so we can cuddle properly.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, rolling over and taking her into his arms. She brought her head to rest on his shoulder and sighed contentedly while he rubbed soft circles against her shoulder blade. They sat there in silence for a few minutes until Carol giggled suddenly.

“What’s so funny?” Daryl asked gruffly. Carol giggled again. “What?”

“I can’t wait to see you all dressed up for prom, Pookie,” she said with a shit-eating grin. Daryl groaned.

“Do I have t’ wear a tie?” he whined.

“Of course you do!” she said sweetly. 

Daryl groaned again. “Have I ever told ya how lucky ya are that I love ya?”

“Hmm, once or twice,” she said with a smile. 

Daryl sighed heavily. “Hope ya ‘preciate this,” he grumbled. “Ain’t nobody else I’d ever wear a damn tie for.”

Carol smiled. “I know,” she said, kissing him quickly. “And I love you, too.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! I'm not entirely sure how many more chapters I'll be able to get out of this story.... I'm thinking maybe about four or so.... At any rate, thank you all so, so much for sticking with this story for so long. It's my first fic ever and the fact that so many of you have read it and left reviews (which I realize I am actually horrible about replying to - but I promise I read and appreciate each and every one) means so, so much to me. I hope these last few chapters will be worthwhile and hopefully come together nicely.... Anyway, I'm rambling. 
> 
> Bottom line: Thank you all so much, y'all are actually the best!

As the weekend of prom drew closer, the entire junior class was buzzing about dresses and shoes and ties and flowers. Carol and Michonne went dress shopping together, and Carol decided that she would pick out a matching tie for Daryl when she bought her dress. 

"I hope Rick's cool with purple, because I am so buying this dress," Michonne said, admiring her reflection in the mirror. 

"He'd better be cool with it, that color looks amazing on you," Carol replied, coming out of her dressing room to admire the blue dress she'd just pulled on. 

"Oh my God, Carol, tell me you're buying that one," Michonne said excitedly. 

"Do you think I should?" She asked, admiring the way the dress cascaded elegantly down to the floor, and the way it brought out the blue in her eyes. 

"Honey, you have to," Michonne told her. "You look gorgeous. Daryl won't be able to keep his hands off you in that thing." 

Carol blushed, not knowing how to respond to that. The last few times they'd been alone Daryl hadn't been able to keep his hands to himself, letting them wander over her body as he familiarized himself with every curve of her. She thought about how it felt to be pressed up against him, his erection jutting against her thigh. She loved knowing that she could get such a reaction out of him, especially given the thoughts she'd been having about him lately. She'd never really had any sexual urges before, but Daryl was something new and exciting in many ways for her. She kept thinking about what it would be like for him to make love to her, touching and tasting her in places no one else had ever even seen before. She wanted all that and more with Daryl; she wanted for him to be her first and last time, and she wanted to be that for him. When she thought about her future, all she could see was Daryl. All she could smell was his intoxicating outdoorsy smell, and she could feel his calloused hands resting perfectly in hers. He was everything she'd ever need, and thinking about him she knew she never wanted to be with anyone else.

“Alright,” Carol decided. “I’ll get this one. Now I just need to find a nice blue tie for Daryl and we’ll be all set.” She picked out a tie that matched her dress perfectly, and she and Michonne left the store with their dresses in hand. 

“I’m so excited for prom,” Michonne gushed. “Do you think Rick will try to kiss me?”

“He’s been making puppy eyes at you for weeks, so he’d better,” Carol grumbled. “He’s even more awkward around girls than Daryl.”

“And speaking of Daryl,” Michonne said. “Is it just me or has he been a lot more touchy feely with you lately?”

“Hmm, I guess he has,” Carol said, not wanting to get too detailed about the way he touched her, about how she let his hands skim over her back, around her ass, over her breasts and stomach. Just thinking about the feeling of his warm hands touching her sent shivers up and down her spine and got her thinking about things she definitely should not be thinking during ordinary conversation. 

“Have you guys done it yet?” Michonne asked. 

“No,” Carol replied. “And even when we do, you really think I’m going to talk about it?”

“You said when!” Michonne exclaimed excitedly. Carol groaned, rolling her eyes at her friend. “So that means you guys are totally going to do it. And I expect a full recap in excruciating detail.”

“Don’t count on it,” Carol replied. “When it happens, I’m definitely not going to bring it up.”

“I’ll be able to tell,” Michonne said confidently. “Don’t you worry. And I’ll be sure to pry for all the gory details.”

Carol tried not to roll her eyes as they loaded their dresses into the back of Michonne’s car. 

***** 

Carol walked over to Daryl’s house later that afternoon with his tie tucked away carefully inside her bag. She couldn’t wait to see his face when she showed it to him. When she arrived at the house, she knocked on the door and was unpleasantly surprised when Merle appeared.

“Hey there, lil’ darlin’,” he drawled loudly. “Ya here t’ see Darylina? Or did ya finally come t’ yer senses ‘n realize ya want a lil’ Merle action?”

“No, I’m definitely here to see Daryl,” she said firmly. 

“Ya sure? Bet I could pleasure ya in a way lil’ Darylina never will,” Merle said with a wink.

“You’re disgusting,” Carol told him.

“Merle! Get your ugly ass away from my girlfriend ’fore I beat your ass!” Carol heard Daryl scream from somewhere inside the house. 

Merle snickered. “Like t’ see ya try, baby brother!” he hollered back. “Come on in, sweetheart,” Merle said, turning back to Carol. “Ya wanna see my room, or anythin’ else, let ol’ Merle know. Always happy t’ keep pretty lil’ guests entertained.” With a wink he headed into the living room. Carol gave herself a small shake, not wanting to dwell on anything Merle said to her. He was disgusting and obnoxious, but she could tell that he really did care about Daryl in his own weird way and he was really trying to get his life back together. Apparently, he’d even gone and gotten himself a job at the local burger joint. 

“Hey,” Daryl said coming into view. Carol smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him softly.

“Hi,” she mumbled.

“Sorry ‘bout Merle,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist. “He should be leavin’ for work soon.”

“It’s okay,” she told him. “I just ignore everything he says.”

Daryl smiled at that. “Me too,” he admitted. 

“Alrighty Darylina,” Merle called, coming back into view. “I’m off t’ work. See ya later. Bye lil’ darlin’,” he added with a wink to Carol, heading out the front door. They heard the roar of the motorcycle coming to life as Merle went off to work. 

“Let’s go sit down,” Daryl said, taking Carol’s hand and leading her to his bedroom. She sat down on the edge of his bed, and Daryl took a seat beside her.

“Guess what I got for you,” Carol said mischievously.

“Uh-oh,” Daryl growled. “Better not be what I think it is.”

Carol pulled out the tie with a smile and Daryl groaned loudly. “I ain’t fuckin’ wearin’ that thing.”

“Oh yes you are,” Carol told him. “It matches my dress.”

“You’re wearin’ blue?” he asked hoarsely. 

“I am,” she said with a smirk.

“Dammit. You tryin’ t’ kill me?” he asked. “Ya know I like it when ya wear blue.”

“I know,” she replied, still smirking at him. “Come on, just try this on,” she said, draping the tie around his neck. “I’ll even tie it for you.”

Daryl growled in frustration but he didn’t protest as Carol’s slender fingers worked to tie the tie around his neck for him. When she was finished, she leaned back a bit to admire her work. “You look great, Pookie,” she said sweetly.

“Feel ridiculous,” he muttered, loosening the tie enough to pull it off over his head, tossing it on the floor. 

“You’re wearing it,” Carol told him sternly. 

Daryl huffed in frustration. “Fine,” he said. “But I ain’t gonna be happy ‘bout it.”

“But it’ll make me so happy,” Carol said sweetly, leaning in to kiss him. “And you’re going to look amazing.”

“Bet you’ll look better,” Daryl told her. Carol was just about to reply when he wrapped his arms around her waist quickly, flipping her over to lie on her back on the bed. She squealed in surprise but then his lips were on hers, kissing her breathless while his hands roamed up and down her arms. Carol moaned against his mouth, bringing her hands up to tangle in his hair. Daryl groaned deep in his throat, shifting slightly as Carol wrapped her legs around his waist. She could feel his erection pressing sharply against the inside of her thigh, and she shifted so that it pressed up against her groin instead. She moaned again at the wave of desire the spread through her at the contact. 

“Fuck,” Daryl hissed, resting his head against her shoulder. “You tryin’ t’ kill me?”

Carol giggled. “You’re the one who decided it was a good idea to kiss me in your bed,” she told him, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

Daryl grunted, leaning in to press another kiss to her lips. “I’d be doin’ way more than just kissin’ ya if I had a condom right now,” he growled into her ear. Carol whimpered softly. He’d been far more confident around her lately, touching her and whispering seductive things like that in her ear, and she’d have been lying if she said she wasn’t loving this new side of him. 

“We’re going to have to get you some condoms soon,” she said, breathing heavily as she tried to calm herself down a bit. “I don’t know how much longer I can wait.”

“Ya really wanna?” he asked, his ocean blue eyes meeting hers. 

“Of course I want to,” Carol told him. “I love you, Daryl.”

Daryl kissed her softly. “I love ya, too,” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. “Ya know, Merle’s workin’ the night of prom. Won’t be home all night. Ya could stay over if ya want.” Carol looked up at him, seeing a trace of hesitancy and insecurity in his eyes. She smiled up at him reassuringly. 

“I’ll have to tell my parents that I’m sleeping over at Michonne’s house,” she said quietly. Daryl’s eyes lit up.

“Ya wanna?” he asked.

“Yeah, I want to,” Carol said with a smile. “You’d better get some condoms before then, though.” Daryl chuckled softly.

“Done,” he said, kissing her fervently. “God, I love ya.”

“I love you too,” she said with a smile. “And I can’t wait to see you all dressed up for prom.”

Daryl groaned loudly and Carol laughed, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She knew he probably wouldn’t enjoy the prom portion of the evening, but she certainly would, and she silently told herself that it would all be worth it for him afterwards when they spent the entire night wrapped up in each other’s arms.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's prom night for Carol and Daryl! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I wasn't sure exactly how fluffy I wanted it to be, but I hope I got it right. Let me know what you all think!

The day of prom was hectic for everyone. Carol had agreed to host everyone at her house for pictures, and she was still trying to tame her curly hair half an hour before everyone was supposed to arrive. She was pretty much ready to go exactly when everyone should have been arriving, but she was still fussing over her hair in the hallway mirror when the doorbell rang. With a heavy sigh, Carol rushed to the front door, opening it to find Daryl, looking unnaturally tidy. His tie hung loosely around his neck, and the top button on his shirt was undone. He’d rolled the sleeves up his arms, and he held a single Cherokee rose in his hand. Carol could’ve sworn he’d actually washed and combed his shaggy hair, and as he moved closer she thought she caught a faint scent of soap coming off him.

“Hi,” Carol said, smiling breathlessly at him.

“Ya look… beautiful,” Daryl stuttered, gazing at her. Carol blushed.

“I can’t get my hair quite right,” she said, standing aside to allow him to step inside. 

“Carol. Ya look perfect,” he told her, kissing her temple. “Stop worryin’.”

“You look pretty amazing yourself,” she told him, admiring his outfit. “You clean up nicely, Mr. Dixon.”

Daryl blushed a deep pink. “Don’ get used to it,” he mumbled. “I ain’t dressin’ up like this again.”

“Aww, but Pookie, what about senior prom next year?” Carol asked, batting her eyelashes at him. Daryl rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, we’ll talk next year,” he told her gruffly. 

Everyone else arrived shortly thereafter, and Carol’s parents took pictures of each couple as well as several group photos. Carol could tell that Daryl hated the entire thing, and once the pictures were done she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. 

“I love you,” she whispered in his ear. “Thank you for doing all this.”

Daryl gazed down at her. “I’d do anythin’ for ya,” he said quietly. “Ya know that.” Carol smiled up at him, kissing him again. 

“I know,” she said. 

Each couple had their own car to drive to prom, and Carol watched as Tara and Rosita piled into Tara’s car, Maggie and Glenn drove off in Glenn’s new red sports car, and Rick and Michonne went in Rick’s car. Finally, Daryl held the passenger side door of his truck open and helped Carol climb up inside. She tossed a bag with a change of clothes on the floor of the truck for later. She didn’t exactly want to be stuck in her dress when she returned home the following morning. 

If it were possible for Carol to skip in her high heeled shoes, then she definitely would have unabashedly skipped into the prom. Instead she took hold of Daryl’s hand and walked slowly inside, trying not to break her neck in the fancy shoes she’s picked out. Daryl had told her not to wear such high heels, telling her she didn’t need to do anything crazy to impress him, but she’d gone ahead and worn them anyway. This was her prom and she was going to do it right. 

Carol and her friends selected a vacant table beside the dance floor, and Carol scooted her chair closer to Daryl’s. The music was loud and people were packed in tightly, and Carol could tell that Daryl was feeling incredibly uncomfortable. 

“Hey,” she said, talking into his ear so that he could hear her. “You okay?”

Daryl nodded stiffly. “It’s just real loud,” he said back.

The night went by relatively smoothly. Tara and Rosita spent the entire evening on the dance floor, and Maggie and Glenn sat close together in the corner of the table, whispering in each other’s ears and giggling softly. Rick and Michonne spent a lot of time talking, and when the DJ finally played a slow song, Rick held a shaky hand out to Michonne and asked her to dance with him. As the song ended, he finally leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips.

Carol and Daryl spent most of their time at the table, Carol resting her hand on Daryl’s upper arm in an attempt to keep him calm since he typically didn’t handle large crowds very well. When that slow song finally played, she was surprised when Daryl stood up. “Can I have this dance?” he asked with a small smirk.

“Of course,” Carol said, taking his hand and letting him lead her out onto the dance floor. Daryl placed his hand hesitantly on her waist, taking her other hand in his. 

“Got no fuckin’ clue what I’m doin’,” he muttered, blushing slightly. Carol giggled at him, placing her free hand on his shoulder. 

“Just follow my lead,” she said, dancing slowly. Daryl followed along with her movements and soon they fell into a steady rhythm with the music, and Carol brought her head to rest on Daryl’s shoulder. 

“See, you’re a natural,” she told him. 

“Had the most beautiful girl in the world to teach me,” Daryl said back. They danced in silence until the end of the song, and when a faster song started up Carol went to move away. To her surprise, Daryl held her firmly in place.

“Don’t move,” Daryl said quietly. “I’m finally havin’ fun over here.” Carol smiled up at him, closing the distance between them and kissing him gently. 

“Okay,” she said, resting her forehead against his as they danced. The tempo of the music picked up considerably but Carol and Daryl didn’t seem to care. They continued dancing at their slow pace, holding each other closer and closer as they continued to dance. 

Several songs passed and Carol and Daryl were still on the dance floor. Carol had wrapped her arms around Daryl’s neck and his arms had come down around her waist. Their foreheads remained pressed together as they stared into each other’s eyes, lost in their own little world of each other as they continued to dance. 

“I love ya, Carol,” Daryl whispered to her. 

“I love you too, Daryl,” she replied quietly. 

“Ya sure ya wanna be with me?” he asked awkwardly, finally giving voice to the fears that had been nagging at the back of his mind all night. “I mean, ya can get out whenever ya want, but we still ain’t… well, we ain’t done it yet, ‘n I want ya to know we don’t gotta do anythin’ if you don’t wanna…” He was rambling now, and Carol cut him off there.

“Daryl,” she said sharply. He stopped talking, staring at her expectantly. 

“I love you,” she said. “More than you can possibly imagine. You’re my best friend, the most amazing guy I have ever met, and there is no one else in this world that I would rather be with. I know you would do anything for me, and I hope you know that I would do anything for you, too. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my entire life, but when it comes to you I know without a doubt that I’m completely in love with you. And nothing is going to change that.”

“Carol,” Daryl whispered, bringing a hand up to cup her cheek. “I love ya so much. I still don’t know how a guy like me gets lucky enough to get a girl as amazin’ as you.”

“Daryl…” Carol started, but he cut her off.

“I’m gonna go t’ the trade school after we graduate next year,” he told her anxiously. “Gonna be a mechanic. I ain’t smart enough for college, but I wanna get a real job so I can support ya. I wanna be with ya Carol ‘n I wanna make ya happy, ‘n I’m gonna try every day to be the man ya deserve. I know ya deserve so much better than me, but I need ya Carol, ‘n I’m gonna work so hard to be the best man I can be for ya.”

Carol’s eyes filled with tears at his words. “Daryl, you’re already perfect just the way you are, and you don’t have to prove anything to me. I love you, and no matter what happens, I will always love you.”

Daryl stared into her perfect blue eyes and knew she meant every word. All his life he’d been that low-life, angry redneck, only good at fighting and pissing people off. But then Carol had come along and changed him for the better. She’d made him a better person, and he was going to spend the rest of his life trying to show her just how grateful he was to have her. He leaned closer to kiss her, silently showing her just how much she meant to him.

“Whaddya say we get outta here?” he asked against her lips. “Head on back t’ my house?”

“I would love that,” Carol whispered, kissing him again. He took her by the hand and gently led her away from the prom and out to his truck. She took his hand as he drove, sighing contentedly. She knew one thing for certain: tonight would be the first time she made love to Daryl Dixon, and it would only be the start of the rest of her life with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, you all know where this next chapter is headed.... I've never written smut before so we'll see how this goes. Hopefully it'll turn out the way I want it to :)


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....So, I've never written smut before, so I hope I didn't do too horrible of a job, here. And, as always I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :)

Back at Daryl’s house, he led the way down the hall and into his bedroom. He held Carol’s overnight bag in one hand and her hand in the other as he nudged his door open with his toe, flicking on the light switch as he entered the room. 

“You’re sure Merle won’t be home at all tonight?” Carol asked nervously, perching herself on the edge of his bed,

“Yep. Said he won’t be home ‘til ‘bout 10:00 in the mornin’,” Daryl told her, seating himself on the bed beside her. “We got all night.” 

Carol nodded silently, taking a few deep breaths to help calm her nerves. She toed off her shoes, rubbing each foot gently as she freed them from the discomfort she’d forced them through over the course of the evening. 

“Scoot back a bit,” Daryl said quietly. Carol did as he asked, moving further back on the bed. He reached over, taking one of her feet in his hands and rubbing gently, kneading the bottom of her foot with the palms of his hands. “That feel good?” he asked, continuing to massage her foot.

Carol nodded silently while he worked, and she watched his fingers expertly rub her foot until she couldn’t feel the soreness from the shoes anymore. After a few minutes he switched to the other foot and resumed the same treatment, and Carol sighed in contentment, feeling all her uneasiness evaporate slowly at the feel of his warm hands massaging her. 

He released her foot after a while, scooting closer to her and kissing her softly. Carol brought her hands up to tangle in his hair and pulled him even closer, forcing herself to focus on the feel of his lips against hers rather than the pounding of her heart against her chest. 

“We don’t have t’ do anythin’ if ya don’t wanna,” Daryl told her quietly, trailing his fingers up and down her arm. 

“You know I want to,” she told him, her eyes meeting his. He didn’t say anything, but he leaned over to the small table beside his bed, opening the drawer and pulling out a box. From within the box he pulled out a silver foil packet and set it aside for later. 

“I’m ready whenever ya are,” he said quietly, gazing across the bed at her. As Carol stared at him, she felt that desire pool in her belly once again and she felt her confidence increase significantly. Silently, she stood up, turning her back towards Daryl. She pulled her hair delicately over her shoulder, out of the way for him. 

“Help me get out of this dress,” she said softly but steadily, anxious to feel his hands on her. She heard Daryl shift behind her and soon his shaking hand was on the zipper of her dress, pulling it slowly down her back. She let the straps of the dress fall down her arms and the rest of the dress followed until it was lying in a heap around her ankles. She kicked it to the side gently, turning around to face Daryl. She watched as his eyes roamed over her, standing before him in nothing but her bra and panties, and she waited with bated breath for him to do something.

“You’re the most beautiful thing I ever seen,” he murmured, reaching a hand out to pull her closer. He got up on his knees as she stepped up to the edge of the bed, kissing her deeply. His fingers threaded themselves in her hair, and his other hand came to rest on her bare back, sending waves of heat pulsing through her. As she kissed him her fingers found their way to the knot in his tie, loosening it slowly. She broke the kiss just long enough to pull the tie over his head and resumed kissing him as she tossed it onto the floor somewhere behind her. Daryl moved back on the bed, pulling her with him. She knelt on the bed before him, her tongue darting out to dance with his as her fingers worked at the buttons of his shirt, undoing them one by one. When she reached the last button, her hands skimmed across his bare chest, coming up to his shoulders to push the shirt down his arms. It soon landed on the floor somewhere beside her dress. 

Daryl leaned into her, pushing her back gently to lie on the bed. He straddled her waist as he climbed on top of her, kissing her passionately. His hands roamed over the pale skin of her stomach and over the lacy material of her bra, and Carol moaned as she brought her hands around to run over the rough scars along his back. Daryl kissed his way from her lips along her jaw and down the side of her neck, running his tongue across her collarbone. Carol shuddered at the feeling, feeling the heat of desire burning deeper somewhere in her abdomen. Daryl continued to trail kisses across her chest, reaching behind her to find the clasp of her bra. He undid the clasps slowly, bringing his fingers around to gently slide the straps down her shoulders and arms, finally freeing her of the garment. Carol gasped quietly at the feel of the cool air against her now exposed skin, and she noticed the way that Daryl’s eyes burned a deeper blue as he gazed down at her. He brought his mouth to one breast, trailing kisses around it before his tongue darted out, circling her nipple gently. Carol arched her back into him, her fingers moving up his back and into his hair as he focused his attention on her breast, teasing and working the nipple into a pert little bud. He then kissed his way over to the other breast, repeating the same treatment there. Carol’s eyes closed as she let out a sigh, amazed at the way Daryl was taking his time, slowly and carefully loving every single inch of her.

“You sure you’ve never done this before?” she panted, opening her eyes to glance down at him. Daryl smiled up at her, leaving Carol’s breast longing for the feel of his tongue against her.

“Promise this is my first time,” he said hoarsely, moving up to press a kiss to her lips. “How’m I doin’?”

“God, you’re amazing,” she said breathlessly, kissing him deeply. Her hands traveled down his chest and found his belt, slowly working it open. She popped the button on his pants and slid them down over his ass, and Daryl rolled off her for a moment to kick them off onto the floor. Before she could even miss him he was back on top of her again, and Carol could clearly feel the push of the hard bulge inside his boxers jutting against her thigh. They resumed their kissing and Daryl’s hands began to wander over her body, starting with her face and trailing down her neck, to her shoulders, and down to cup her breast, gently squeezing and kneading it with his hand. Carol’s hands roamed over his broad chest, down his sides, and over to his back, working their way down to his hips. Daryl’s hand continued to move lower, running across her stomach and down to her thigh, moving back up slowly until his fingers lightly grazed across her panties, gently touching between her legs. Carol hissed in anticipation as his fingers barely skimmed over her most sensitive area, and she felt him smile against her lips.

“Someone’s been enjoyin’ herself,” he mumbled as his fingers trailed up and down between her legs, feeling how wet her panties already were.

“And we haven’t even gotten to the best part yet,” Carol sighed heavily, clenching her eyes shut tight as he rubbed her slowly through the thin fabric of her panties. “God, that feels amazing,” she mumbled. She whimpered in frustration when he pulled his hand away, and he smiled against her lips as he pulled her panties down gently, exposing her to him completely. He kissed her again, and his fingers returned to that spot where she wanted him most, sliding agonizingly slow through her slippery folds.

“Oh God, Daryl,” she whimpered, her fingernails digging into his back. 

“Whaddya say we get t’ the best part?” he whispered seductively in her ear, and Carol nearly came undone at his words alone. She watched as he pulled off his boxers, his erection springing free as he liberated it from the confinement of the thin material. He reached over to the small table beside his bed, tearing open the foil packet and sliding the condom on in excruciatingly slow motion. Carol bit her lip in anticipation as he climbed back on top of her, kissing her so softly she could hardly feel it. 

“We can stop now if ya don’t wanna do this,” he told her, staring into her perfect blue eyes. “Don’t want ya doin’ anythin’ if ya don’t wanna.”

“I want you,” Carol said firmly, resting her hand against his cheek. “I want to do this.”

“Alright,” Daryl said, kissing her forehead. “Let me know if ya wanna stop. Or if I’m hurtin’ ya.”

“You’d never hurt me,” Carol said simply. She’d never been so sure of anything in her entire life. Daryl stared down at her for a moment before guiding himself slowly to her entrance. He kissed her gently as he slowly pushed into her and she gasped, feeling slightly uncomfortable as she adjusted to the feeling of him inside her. He remained still for a few moments, giving her that time to adjust. 

“Ya okay?” he whispered.

Carol nodded silently, biting her bottom lip as she gazed up at him. He kissed her again before he started to move, keeping his motions gentle and slow as he thrusted into her. He wasn’t entirely certain that he was doing any of this right, but the moans coming out of Carol urged him on. He kept picking up his pace, still not wanting to hurt her but at the same time it was getting harder and harder for either of them to think straight the longer they kept at it. He closed his eyes as he kissed her, and he felt her walls squeeze tighter around him as she moaned his name, and he felt himself come undone at the sound. They came down from their climaxes just seconds apart, and as Carol began to calm down she blinked up at him in adoration. 

“I love you, Daryl,” she said quietly. 

“I love ya, too,” he said kissing her.

“That was amazing,” she whispered, her arms still wrapped around him. 

“Really? Didn’t know what the hell I was even doin’,” he admitted.

“Well, I couldn’t tell,” Carol told him. He kissed her once more before pulling out of her, rolling over to dispose of the used condom in the trash can beside his bed. He curled up beside her, draping the blanket over them both as he reached over to hold her close.

She sighed in contentment as her eyes closed, and she snuggled closer to his chest, breathing in his intoxicating scent as he held her. The last thing she was conscious of before she drifted off to sleep was the feeling of his warm hands tracing lazy circles across her back, and the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This will be the final chapter of this story... thank you so, so much to everyone who followed this story, who sent me reviews, and who supported me. This was my first fanfic ever, and the response I received was absolutely incredible. Y'all are amazing, I hope you all know that, and I really appreciate each and every one of you. I have plans to start another story so I hope you'll all stay tuned for that. Until then, enjoy the final chapter and thank you all so much for sticking with me! :)

The Monday morning after prom, Daryl picked Carol up at her house before school a bit earlier than usual. 

“You’re early!” Carol exclaimed as she opened the door, still pulling her sweater around her shoulders. She gasped when she saw him, holding a Cherokee rose and grinning widely at her.

“Sorry,” he said, taking her quickly into his arms and kissing her. “Couldn’t wait to see ya. ‘N I brought ya somethin’.” He tucked the flower into her hand and kissed her gently again. “God, I fuckin’ love ya,” he told her.

“Wow,” Carol said, amazed at his sudden enthusiasm. “Someone’s in a very good mood today.”

“’Course I am,” he told her. “I got you, don’t I? That’s enough t’ make me the happiest man alive.”

“Wow,” Carol repeated. “Who are you and what have you done with Daryl Dixon?” He chuckled at that, and Carol went rushing off to finish getting ready for school. When they pulled up into the school’s parking lot a little while later, Carol took his hand in hers as he led her into the school. 

“So, how long do we think it’ll take before Michonne and Tara grill me with questions about Saturday night?” Carol asked playfully. 

“’Bout five minutes,” Daryl replied and Carol giggled. “’Lil do they know they should really be askin’ ‘bout what happened Sunday mornin’…” Carol smiled at the memory of waking up in Daryl’s arms in the early hours of Sunday morning. Round two had been even better than their first time, and round three in the shower was the most amazing thing Carol had ever experienced. If she closed her eyes she could still feel his tongue as it stroked her, running back and forth through her slick folds and coming up to circle around her clit until she came. Daryl swore up and down that he’d never done anything sexual before, but judging by the things he’d done to her with his tongue alone she still wasn’t sure she believed him. 

As the two of them approached Carol’s locker, Carol felt Daryl begin bristling in anger before she could even realize what was wrong. As the locker came into view, Carol saw none other than Ed Peletier leaning casually against it.

“Carol and Daryl,” Ed drawled as they approached. “Looky, looky what we have here. You know, I heard from a very reliable source that you two crazy kids left junior prom early on Saturday night. I was just wondering where y’all went off to. Did you two run off to exchange diseases or something?”

“Fuck off, Peletier,” Daryl snarled, and Carol gripped his hand a little tighter. It was already June and school would be over in just a few short weeks. Ed was a senior so he would be graduating, and then Carol and Daryl would never have to deal with him ever again. No way was she about to let him rile up Daryl enough to get him into trouble now. Not when they were so close to being free of him once and for all. 

“Hoo hoo, someone’s not feeling very talkative today,” Ed quipped. “Was it really so bad screwing that walking disease over there?” He cackled at his own comment, and Carol stepped closer to him before Daryl could do anything rash. 

“You know what, Ed?” she asked coolly. “Fuck you. You think it makes you cool to pick on people, to bring them down so you can build yourself up? Then that’s great for you. Go right ahead, but we don’t have to stand here and listen to it because, quite frankly, you’re just an asshole. And one day you won’t be so big and tough and someone’s going to come along and put you in your place. And you can bet that you won’t be so cool then. So have a nice life, Ed Peletier, and stay the hell out of ours.” She turned on her heel, taking Daryl’s hand in hers and storming off down the hall. “Good fucking riddance!” she called over her shoulder, and she smirked to herself at the dumbfounded and confused look on Ed’s face. As she and Daryl rounded the corner and entered a quiet part of the school, she burst into giggles. “That was exhilarating!” she said excitedly.

Daryl chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. “You’re amazing. Ya know that?” he asked, kissing her tenderly.

“Hmm, I know,” she said with a smile, leaning in for another kiss. “I love you, Daryl Dixon.”

“I love you too, beautiful,” he said quietly. As Carol gazed up into his clear, ocean blue eyes, she knew in her heart that everything would be alright. Ed Peletier would graduate and never be a problem for them again, and they could continue on with their lives. 

*****

The coming months proved that she was right. Ed graduated and went off to some college on the west coast, never to be seen or heard from again. Merle somehow managed to hold down his job serving burgers, and he and Daryl gradually came to mend their relationship. And when the college acceptance letters and financial aid packages came through the following spring, Carol settled on commuting from home to Georgia State in order to save money. Daryl enrolled himself in classes at the trade school, and he even secured himself a part-time summer job at a local garage. Things were looking up for Carol and Daryl, and for the first time in Daryl’s life he was truly, genuinely happy. He and Carol had their career paths lined up and ready to go, and they both knew that everything would work out for them. 

After they graduated from high school at the end of their senior year, Daryl took Carol to that spot in the park. Their spot, by their tree where their initials were still carved. And he took her in his arms and he kissed her deeply, swearing to her to be the best man that he could be for the rest of his life, and swearing to love her until the day that he died. She swore her own love in return, not because he asked her to, but because she knew that no matter what, she was going to spend the rest of her life in the loving arms of Daryl Dixon. 

~The End~


End file.
